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It’s good news for anyone who enjoys the chaos of transfer deadline day: this summer there’s not one but two to look forward to in the Premier League. Due to an unique registration period for the expanded Club World Cup, the window will open on Sunday 1 June until Tuesday 10 June before closing for a few days. It will then reopen on Monday 16 June until Monday 1 September. Here are a selection of players who could be on the move.
Joan García (Espanyol)
It’s been another spectacular season for García, who was part of Spain’s squad that won the gold medal at last summer’s Olympics. In March, he became the first player to win La Liga’s award for save of the month twice in a row and that has only added to his long list of admirers – especially given the 24-year-old has a €25m (£21m) release clause. Arsenal were thought to be leading the race even if García would be expected to be an understudy to David Raya, with Barcelona, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Inter among those hoping to persuade him otherwise.
Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace)
The England international has only 12 months left on the contract he signed when he joined Crystal Palace from Chelsea in 2021 and is widely expected to leave Selhurst Park this summer. The big question is where he will end up after seeing four massive bids from Newcastle rejected last year and another worth up to £70m from Tottenham in January. Liverpool have also been strongly linked amid uncertainty over Ibrahima Konaté’s future, while Chelsea are thought to be considering an attempt to bring Guéhi back to Stamford Bridge. There were reports that the 24-year-old is considering running down his contract at Selhurst Park after leading them to the FA Cup but can Palace afford to turn down big money again?
Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland)
With playoff hero Tommy Watson’s departure to Brighton already signed and sealed, the Black Cats could be facing the prospect of losing one of their other talented teenagers in the coming weeks. Bellingham was in Germany this week to hold talks with Eintracht Frankfurt – who have qualified for next season’s Champions League – and is also being courted by his older brother Jude’s former employers, Borussia Dortmund, as well as RB Leipzig. Sunderland are understood to be determined to keep Bellingham and are likely to demand more than €30m (£25m), with his former club Birmingham also due a sell-on fee.
Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt)
A hat-trick for France’s Under 21s against England in March and the goal he scored against Tottenham in the Europa League underlined the former Paris St-Germain striker’s potential. Ekitike stepped up for Eintracht Frankfurt when Omar Marmoush joined Manchester City in January, ending the season with 22 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions. But a reported asking price north of £80m for the 22-year-old who started his career at Reims might prove too high for most potential suitors, who are thought to include Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Jonathan David (Lille)
His future has been a regular source of speculation over the past few windows and the Canada striker has already confirmed he will finally leave Lille this summer when his contract expires. Newly crowned Italian champions Napoli appear to be in pole position to sign David having held several rounds of talks with his representatives, although Aston Villa, Tottenham, West Ham and Juventus are also thought to have shown interest. The 25-year-old has previously made no secret of his desire to play in the Premier League.
Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
It’s unlikely that the latest academy graduate who could be shown the door at Old Trafford will be short of offers. After being left out of Manchester United’s matchday squad against Aston Villa on the final day by Ruben Amorim, Garnacho’s potential availability has alerted several clubs looking for a potential bargain. The Argentina forward is expected to cost around £40m if United allow him to leave, with Napoli – who tried to sign him in January – thought to be the early frontrunners. Chelsea have also been monitoring his situation.
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Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Brentford will not make it easy for any club who want to take a chance on the forward who ended the season with 20 Premier League goals. Mbeumo still has a year of his contract remaining plus an option to extend it by 12 months, even if manager Thomas Frank admitted after their win over Leicester that “we are a selling club so if someone comes in with the right price …”. That is probably in the region of £60m, with Manchester United and Newcastle thought to be his most likely destination. Yoane Wissa – who just missed out on matching Mbeumo as they would have become the first duo to score 20 goals for the same club in a single season since Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané in 2018-19 – is also expected to attract interest.
Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)
“I want to play for a club that suits me and brings out the best in me,” said the Slovenia striker this week. Whether that is finally Arsenal three years after Sesko first appeared on Mikel Arteta’s radar when he was starring for Red Bull Salzburg as a teenager will be answered soon enough. The 21-year-old only managed 13 goals – one down on last year – as RB Leipzig struggled in the Bundesliga but fits the profile required at the Emirates given Arsenal’s need for more firepower. Sporting’s Viktor Gyökeres is also on Arteta’s shortlist, while Chelsea have previously shown an interest in Sesko and could try to get involved if they miss out on other targets.
Rayan Cherki (Lyon)
Once seen as the bad boy of French football, some impressively mature performances for Lyon this season earned him a first senior call-up from Didier Deschamps and have also caught the attention of a certain Pep Guardiola. Manchester City are thought to have registered their interest in the 22-year-old as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, with Cherki available for just €30m (£22m). Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest would be a much more expensive alternative and with Cherki understood to prefer to join a team playing in the Champions League, that could rule out a move to the red half of Manchester.
Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
At one time he was in the shadow of his elder brother, Iñaki Williams, but it is the 22-year-old winger who is now the wanted man, Williams Sr having stayed in the Basque Country past his 30th birthday. While the elder brother now players for Ghana after gaining a single Spain cap almost a decade ago, Nico is familiar to English audiences as scorer of the first goal in the Euro 2024 final, in which he was named man of the match. That success came three months after he helped Athletic Bilbao win their first Copa del Rey. As the summer window approaches he has been linked with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea, among others, and has two more seasons on his contract with a release clause of €58m (£49m).
