At the end of a marathon of a transfer window, it was a sprint to the finish line for clubs to get their final signings sorted until the winter. Here’s who is on the go.
At long last, the transfer window has closed for the summer across Europe’s top leagues, with the deadline hitting Thursday and the dealing coming to an end after weeks of rumors, links, loans and signings.
So much of the important business had long been conducted in advance of the deadline. The likes of Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mané, Matthijs de Ligt, Darwin Núñez, Casemiro, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus were among the biggest names already featuring for their new clubs by the time Thursday’s sprint to the finish line was completed, but they’re joined by one last set of players on the go—albeit a set for which there won’t be much time afforded to acclimate to new surroundings.
Not all who desired moves or were thought to be receiving them wound up changing clubs. Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to play in the Champions League this season remains on hold, as he’ll stick with Manchester United until at least the winter. Christian Pulisic, who has consistently come off the bench late in games for Chelsea this season, was denied the loan or transfer that might open up more opportunities before he presumably joins the U.S. for the World Cup.
A pair of other Concacaf stars wound up sticking where they are as well, with Ajax refusing to sanction a transfer for Mexican midfielder Edson Álvarez (Chelsea was reportedly interested) and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas remaining at PSG (a move to Napoli had been rumored), where he’ll duel with Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma for minutes prior to the World Cup.
The Premier League’s clubs have been the biggest spenders this summer, crossing the $2 billion spending threshold, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest (21 signings!) leading the way. Barcelona, after selling off future assets to make it happen, has undergone an extreme makeover of its own and was active down to the very end.
Here are the biggest moves and remaining rumors as word of the last deals trickle in even after the transfer window shuts and players—aside from free agents—are locked into their locations until after the 2022 World Cup this November and December.
THE RUMOR MILL
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set for a reunion with Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea after agreeing to a deal to leave Barcelona. The forward is heading to London today to complete the deal. Marcos Alonso will reportedly move to Barcelona in a $11.5 million deal. Gabonese forward heading to Stamford Bridge. (Fabrizio Romano; Sky Sports)
Memphis Depay, however, will be staying put at Barcelona. Linked earlier in the window to Juventus, the Dutchman figures to be the first backup to Lewandowski, expressing in a statement his desire to remain at Camp Nou. (Memphis Depay)
Michy Batshuayi may be on the verge of a Deadline Day move to Nottingham Forest. The striker has one year left on his deal with Chelsea after spending much of the last five seasons on loan (Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Crystal Palace, Besiktas) and looks to join a completely restructured Forest squad. (Fabrizio Romano; Liam Twomey)
Chelsea’s transfer window looks to continue to the very last minute as the club has reportedly agreed to a loan deal for Juventus’s Denis Zakaria. The Swiss midfielder only arrived in Turin in January, but reports suggest that he is not happy with the Italian giants. (David Ornstein)
Fulham is plotting a series of moves before the deadline. The club in reportedly in talks over a loan move for Leeds winger Daniel James, formerly of Manchester United. Meanwhile while former Chelsea winger Willian has already signed. (Sky Sports)
Arsenal has reportedly made bids of $23 million and $29 million for Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz, only to be turned down. The Brazilian midfielder scored against the Gunners on Wednesday and could fit in perfectly at the Emirates with injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny leaving a gap in midfield. Atlético Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool were also reportedly interested in the midfielder. (Sky Sports)
As if landing Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly were not enough in remaking its back line, Chelsea is reportedly seeking a move for RB Leipzig center back Joško Gvardiol, which could cost a club that has already spent roughly $300 million this summer another $90 million. Gvardiol would stay at Leipzig for the rest of this season under the terms of the proposed deal. Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff previously stated that Gvardiol was not for sale. (The Telegraph)
Everton manager Frank Lampard claims the door is shut on a potential transfer for Anthony Gordon, the 21-year-old winger who has drawn Chelsea’s interest and scored in consecutive games for the Toffees. (BBC)
Bernardo Silva has been at the center of reports linking him with a move from Manchester City to Barcelona, but he put that notion to bed himself following a 6–0 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, claiming he would be staying at the Etihad. (City Transfer Room)
Leeds United and Southampton are in hot pursuit of PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo, who was reportedly a Manchester United target earlier in the summer. (Sky Sports)
Brentford could become the latest Premier League club to break its own transfer record, as it eyes a move for Shakhtar Donetsk’s $35 million-rated, 21-year-old Ukrainian forward Mykhaylo Mudryk, who has also reportedly been on Arsenal’s radar. (The Guardian)
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LATEST COMPLETED MOVES OF NOTE
Arthur Melo (Juventus loan to Liverpool)
Injuries to Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcântara and Naby Keïta this season forced Liverpool to look for midfield reinforcement, and it has found it in the form of the Brazilian, who will go to Anfield for the remainder of the season. The deal comes with an option to buy at $37.5 million, according to Juventus’s announcement.
John Brooks (Benfica)
Brooks, the U.S. defender desperately seeking a way back to the national team in time for the World Cup, has been out of contract since his Wolfsburg deal expired in June, and he heads to the Portuguese power, which is in a Champions League group with PSG, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa. He’ll have a chance to feature alongside Argentina veteran Nicolas Otamendi if he can crack the lineup. His deal runs through the end of the season.
Sergiño Dest (Barcelona loan to AC Milan)
The USMNT right back has his salvation, as it was made clear that he would not be seeing the field under Xavi. With Alessandro Florenzi out injured, Dest could potentially slot in quite nicely for Milan, the reigning Serie A champion. The move comes with a reported $20 million option to buy at the end of the season.
Héctor Bellerín (Barcelona)
Barcelona signed its former youth product, who spent last season on loan at Real Betis and had his contract with Arsenal terminated prior to securing his return to Camp Nou. With Dest off to Milan, Bellerin joins Barça on a one-year deal to fill the void at right back, with Arsenal reportedly receiving 25% of any future sale.
Justin Kluivert (Roma loan to Valencia)
The Dutch winger and son of former great Patrick Kluivert leaves Roma for Valencia for the season after having a proposed move to Fulham fall through due to a failure to secure a U.K. work permit. The move comes with an option to buy.
Martin Braithwaite (Espnayol)
After Barcelona terminated the contract of the Danish forward, he moves across town to Espanyol on a free transfer. He scored 10 goals in 58 appearances for Barcelona after being signed as an emergency transfer from Leganés in 2020.
Leander Dendoncker (Wolves to Aston Villa)
Aston Villa has made a move for the 27-year-old Belgian as manager Steven Gerrard looks to strengthen his midfield. Dendoncker, who joins Villa for a reported £13 million, is a versatile midfielder that can also play center back and has recorded 159 appearances for Wolves in five seasons.
Carlos Soler (Valencia to PSG)
PSG completed a drastic makeover of its midfield with a late move for the Valencia midfielder for a reported €20 million. After the loan exits of Julian Draxler and Idrissa Gueye, the 25-year-old joins Fabián Ruiz in PSG’s new-look midfield after making 226 appearances for Valencia across seven seasons.
Julian Draxler (PSG loan to Benfica)
In what appears to be quite a coup for Benfica, the German star will head to Portugal on loan for the remainder of the season. The 2014 World Cup winner has spent the last six seasons at PSG, recording 26 goals in 198 appearances.
Martin Dúbravka (Newcastle loan to Manchester United)
After being made surplus to requirements. at Newcastle following the signing of Nick Pope, the Slovakian international heads to Old Trafford on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent. Dúbravka made 130 appearances across all competitions for Newcastle in four-and-a-half seasons.
Willian (Fulham)
The Brazilian winger is back in London, but this time with Fulham. After spending seven years at Chelsea and one with Arsenal, Willian spent last season back in Brazil with Corinthians. As a free agent, he had been training with the Cottagers for the last two weeks before signing a contract through the end of the year.
Idrissa Gana Gueye (PSG to Everton)
The central midfielder is back at Goodison Park after three seasons in the French capital. Everton confirmed that the Senegal international has signed a two-year contract to return after leaving in a £30 million deal in 2019. He reportedly joins in an £8 million deal.
Abdou Diallo (PSG loan to RB Leipzig)
PSG defender Abdou Diallo is on the move with a loan deal confirmed at RB Leipzig. The Senegalese defender made 75 appearances across three seasons with the French giants.
Layvin Kurzawa (PSG loan to Fulham)
The west London side confirmed the signing of the left back on loan for the remainder of the season, while also hinting at more moves to come before the transfer deadline. The 29-year-old spent seven seasons with the French giants, making 153 appearances, but only appeared once for PSG last season.
Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund to Man City)
Man City has signed the Swiss center back to a four-year contract in a deal reportedly worth $17.5 million. The 27-year-old defender made 158 appearances in four-and-a-half seasons with Dortmund after arriving from Basel. He is the sixth signing of the summer for the Premier League champions.
Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla loan to Ajax)
The Argentine winger trades one Champions League club for another, filling the void left behind by Manchester United-bound Antony at Ajax—at least for the rest of this season. The 28-year-old’s loan comes with an option to buy.
Leandro Paredes (PSG loan to Juventus)
With PSG loading up in its midfield, there was no place for Paredes, who heads to Juve on loan for the season. He’s the second PSG player to go to Juventus this summer, following Ángel Di María’s free transfer.
Saša Kalajdžić (Stuttgart to Wolves)
The 6’7” Austrian striker completed a reported $17.4 million move to the Premier League side, with whom he signed a five-year deal. He scored 22 goals in his last two seasons in the Bundesliga, including a career-high 16 in 2020-21.
25 PRICIEST MOVES OF THE SUMMER
(All values obtained via media reports and converted to USD)
1. Antony (Ajax to Manchester United for $95 million)
2. Wesley Fofana (Leicester City to Chelsea for $87 million)
3. Aurelién Tchouaméni (Monaco to Real Madrid for $80 million)
4. Darwin Núñez (Benfica to Liverpool for $78.9 million)
5. Marc Cucurella (Brighton to Chelsea for $74.7 million)
6. Richarlison (Everton to Tottenham for $72.6 million)
7. Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad to Newcastle for $70 million)
8. Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus to Bayern Munich for $68.6 million)
9. Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City for $63 million)
10. Casemiro (Real Madrid to Manchester United for $60 million)
11. Lucas Paquetá (Lyon to West Ham for $60 million)
12. Raphinha (Leeds United to Barcelona for $58.2 million)
13. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City to Chelsea for $57 million)
14. Lisandro Martínez (Ajax to Manchester United for $55 million)
15. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City to Arsenal for $54 million)
16. Jules Koundé (Sevilla to Barcelona for $50 million)
17. Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United to Manchester City for $48 million)
18. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich to Barcelona for $45 million)
19. Matheus Nunes (Sporting CP to Wolverhampton for $45 million)
20. Sadio Mané (Liverpool to Bayern Munich for $41 million)
21. Bremer (Torino to Juventus for $41 million)
22. Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli to Chelsea for $40 million)
23. Vitinha (Porto to PSG for $40 million)
24. Sven Botman (Lille to Newcastle for $37 million)
25. Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo to West Ham for $36.6 million)
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