The World Cup is rapidly heading into the rear-view mirror and there is (somehow) only a month until the Premier League gets underway again.
Pre-season has begun in earnest, with fans now having the opportunity to overreact to situations such as Manchester United losing 1-0 to Hollywood-backed Wrexham in Helsinki.
Squads are also being reshaped for the new campaign, with plenty of big-money signings set to be made over the next six weeks. Of course, there has already been a lot of movement, with Elliot Anderson going from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City for a record fee for a British player (£116m), Anthony Gordon making an almost £70m switch from Newcastle to Barcelona and Aston Villa spending a combined £85m on Swiss World Cup star Johan Manzambi and Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes.
Tottenham have been the busiest club so far after their relegation near-miss last season with Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka all joining as Roberto De Zerbi overhauls the squad, although highly-rated young centre-back Luka Vuskovic’s £46m move in the other direction to Brighton could sneakily prove to be the signing of the summer.
Meanwhile, Michael Carrick has freshened up Man United’s midfield with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, the Xabi Alonso project at Chelsea has enticed Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda, while Leeds have made two shrewd signings in the form of Harry Wilson and Bosnian World Cup star Tarik Muharemovic.
Here are 10 more players that could well be on the move before the window closes at the end of next month:
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa to Chelsea)
This one appears to be a fait accompli. It was revealed over the weekend that Aston Villa had accepted a monster offer of £117m from Chelsea for one of their star men – a fee that is a club record for the Blues and a record for a British player, narrowly surpassing Man City’s deal for Elliot Anderson.
Rogers was set to undergo a medical at Stamford Bridge at the start of this week, once he returned from World Cup duty with England in the United States, and official confirmation should be imminent.
Marcus Rashford (Man United to ???)
The future of Rogers’ England teammate Marcus Rashford is slightly more up in the air. Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, rather successfully, but the Catalan giants chose not to pick up the €30m (£26m) option to make the deal permanent and instead signed another Englishman – Anthony Gordon – to play on the left wing for them.
Rashford had a £40m exit clause at Man United, which expired on 15 July, and he looks set to return to pre-season training at Old Trafford. There could still be a future for him there under Michael Carrick but the ideal scenario would probably be leaving the club, if any team is willing to pay his high wages.
After England’s World Cup exit, Rashford wrote on social media: “It’s time for me to rest, reflect, spend some quality time with family and friends, and come back a better version of myself.” This one could drag on all window.
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle to Arsenal?)
Arsenal are reported to have opened talks with Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes and the Brazilian is thought to be keen on a move to the current Premier League champions.
The Gunners have been linked to the 28-year-old midfielder, who has two years remaining on his contract at St James’ Park, for a number of weeks and are happy to offer around £60m, although the Magpies are keen for closer to £75m. The negotiations will be fascinating to watch as Mikel Arteta looks to boost his midfield options.
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille to Man City or Arsenal?)
A younger option for Arteta is Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who caught the eye with a number of impressive performances for Morocco at the World Cup on their run to the quarter-finals.
The 18-year-old is physical, composed on the ball and has a good range of passing, which has attracted the interest of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Man City may actually lead the race ahead of Arsenal for the youngster, who is valued at around €100m (£85m), especially with L’Equipe reporting that PSG have pulled out of the running. City are said to be keen to integrate Bouaddi into the first-team squad immediately, whereas other suitors may send him back on loan to Lille for a season.
Alex Scott (Bournemouth to Arsenal, Chelsea or Man United?)
Bournemouth are desperate to keep Alex Scott and are trying to tie the central midfielder down although the 22-year-old midfielder reportedly turned down their second proposal over a new deal, despite the Cherries’ willingness to include a release clause in the contract.
His current deal runs until 2028, so Bournemouth are not under pressure to sell this summer and are insisting he’s not for sale, having turned down one approach from Chelsea already. Arsenal and Man United are also very interested as they seek help in the engine room and it would be a coup if any of the trio could prise Scott away from the south coast.
Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace to Chelsea?)
Chelsea are after a centre-back to improve their defence under new boss Xabi Alonso and Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix is the priority target.
The 26-year-old played three times at the World Cup for France and negotiations are ongoing between Chelsea, Palace and the player’s camp, with Lacroix himself keen on moving to Stamford Bridge.
Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham to Newcastle or Nottingham Forest?)
Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall is a key target for both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest this summer, with the Magpies recently having a £46m bid turned down for the 20-year-old Swede.
Spurs have also turned down an approach from Forest, which was said to be lower than Newcastle’s bid, as they’re keen to recoup a higher fee, with Bergvall under contract until 2031. Newcastle and Forest have lost Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson respectively this summer, so are eyeing midfield reinforcements and Bergvall is keen to move on after not getting the opportunities in his preferred No 8 position under Roberto De Zerbi.
Manu Kone (Roma to Man United or Arsenal?)
Aurelien Tchouameni’s injury during the World Cup opened up a spot for Manu Kone to get more playing time in France’s midfield and he took advantage with some impressive performances. The Roma star is now a target for both Man United and Arsenal.
United are said to have jumped ahead of the Gunners in the race to sign the 25-year-old, who is interested in a move to Old Trafford, and have held discussion with Roma, although are yet to agree terms.
Bradley Barcola (PSG to Liverpool?)
Bradley Barcola was part of France’s fearsome attack at the World Cup and Liverpool have now moved into the box seat to sign him from PSG as they hunt for a Mohamed Salah replacement.
Barcola was only a bit-part player for PSG last season and the French side are targeting either Yan Diomande or Maghnes Akliouche to upgrade their wing options, leaving the 23-year-old as potentially surplus to requirements. Arsenal are also interested but Liverpool have reportedly made an official bid, with PSG weighing their options.
Rafael Leao (AC Milan to Aston Villa?)
Rafael Leao seems to have been linked with a move to Arsenal for a long time but Aston Villa now have interest in the Portuguese attacker and will have money to spend once the Rogers deal goes through.
Villa appear likely to sign ex-Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan from AC Milan, with Lucas Digne set to move to PSG, and Unai Emery’s side have also discussed Leao with Milan. Talks are not yet very advanced but the 27-year-old is looking to move on from the San Siro this summer and could be available for around £50m, with Spurs also keeping tabs.