The transfer rumour mill is in full swing with daily stories of players coming and going.
Here we bring you the best transfer gossip and the likelihood of those transfer stories materialising.
The ongoing Moises Caicedo transfer saga looks set to end on Monday, with Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion agreeing a record deal worth £115m, according to David Ornstein. He reports that the fee will be supplemented by a sell-on clause, and that the contract will be for a staggering eight years, with a further option of a ninth. A medical has been booked for Monday and the transfer is set to be announced later the same day. Liverpool had thought they’d successfully agreed a deal worth £111m for Caicedo, but the 21-year-old midfielder revealed that he only wanted to leave for Chelsea.
After failing to land striker Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain after the 24-year-old rejected the move following their €300m offer, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal have instead agreed a deal with Neymar on a two-year deal. That’s according to L’Equipe who report that the 31-year-old Brazilian will leave Paris with three years remaining on his contract. Neymar, who doesn’t appear to feature in PSG boss Luis Enrique’s plans, had been contemplating a loan move to Barcelona, or a switch to Inter Miami to be reunited with Lionel Messi, but it now looks as though he’ll join the Saudi revolution instead. Neymar cost PSG £200m when signed from Barcelona in 2017.
Top Saudi Pro League signings
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Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr): The transfer that started it all. The Portuguese superstar moved to the Saudi Pro League in January after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United. Ronaldo scored 14 goals in his first 16 Saudi Pro League games. AFP -
Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad): The first statement signing of the summer transfer window, Ballon d'Or holder Benzema joined the Saudi champions after agreeing an exit from Real Madrid. The French striker was welcomed with a fittingly grand ceremony. Reuters -
N'Golo Kante (Al Ittihad): The French midfielder soon followed Benzema to Ittihad once his Chelsea contract expired. Kante, a two-time Premier League winner and World Cup champion, adds further glamour to the Saudi Pro League. AFP -
Ruben Neves (Al Hilal): By far the most expensive player in Saudi Pro League history. While Ronaldo and Benzema are the bigger global names, both arrived on free transfers. Portuguese midfielder Neves shattered the transfer record by moving to Hilal from Wolves for £47 million. AP -
Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal): After completing the record-breaking move for Neves, Hilal turned their attention to Koulibaly, recruiting the Senegalese centre-back for £20m. Despite a difficult season at Chelsea, Koulibaly has been one of the standout defenders of his generation. AFP -
Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli): Before his long-term shoulder injury, Mendy was one of the best goalkeepers in the world, winning the Champions League with Chelsea and Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. His £16m move to Ahli can help revive his career. AFP -
Jota (Al Ittihad): The Saudi champions are making major moves this summer, and the £25m acquisition of Portuguese winger Jota boosts an attack led by Benzema. PA -
Marcelo Brozovic (Al Nassr): Arriving to provide support to Ronaldo at Nassr, Croatian midfielder Brozovic joined the Saudi club for £15m after another impressive season for Champions League finalists Inter Milan. AFP -
Steven Gerrard (Al Ettifaq): Major arrivals are not only happening on the pitch but in the dugout. Former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Gerrard was appointed by Ettifaq and will aim to revive his career in Saudi. AFP -
Roberto Firmino (Al Ahli): The former Liverpool forward left Anfield after eight successful seasons to lead the attack at Ahli. @ALAHLI_FC / Twitter -
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal): Arguably the most eye-catching deal of the summer. The 28-year-old Serbia midfielder has frequently been linked with Europe's biggest clubs but has opted to join Hilal in a €40m deal. His midfield partnership with Ruben Neves would be the envy of many European teams. Reuters -
Jordan Henderson (Al Ettifaq): The former Liverpool captain is expected to wear the armband following his move from the Premier League giants. The midfielder departed Anfield after 12 years, seven major trophies and 492 appearances. Reuters -
Alex Telles (Al Nassr): The Brazilian defender linked up with former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr this summer. Telles spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Sevilla, helping the Spanish club win the Europa League. He joined Nassr for a reported fee of £4 million. Getty -
Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli) - Algerian winger Mahrez left Manchester City after five years at the Etihad Stadium in which he won 11 major trophies. In all, he made 236 appearances, scoring 78 goals. Reuters -
Allan Saint-Maximin (Al Ahli): The French winger signed for Jeddah giants Al Ahli on a three-year contract after confirming his departure from Newcastle. During his four years on Tyneside, Saint-Maximin scored 13 goals in 124 appearances. AFP -
Fabinho (Al Ittihad): An integral part of a Liverpool squad that won the Champions League and Premier League in successive seasons following his move from Monaco in 2019. Capped 29 times for his country, the Brazilian midfielder joined the Saudi Pro League champions on a three-year contract. AP -
Sadio Mane (Al Nassr): After six highly successful years at Liverpool, in which he won the Premier League and Uefa Champions League titles, Mane endured a frustrating season at Bayern Munich, though he contributed to their title success. The Senegalese, 31, will be part of a fearsome attacking line up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Nassr. Getty -
Malcom (Al Hilal): Not content with breaking the Saudi Pro League transfer record once, Al Hilal did so twice this summer and made Brazilian winger Malcom the most expensive player in Saudi football history. AFP -
Seko Fofana (Al Nassr): A player in demand this summer after a superb season to help Lens run PSG close in Ligue 1, the Ivory Coast midfielder opted to link up with Ronaldo at Al Nassr over moves elsewhere in Europe. AC Milan had been strongly linked. AFP -
Franck Kessie (Al Ahli): The Ivory Coast midfielder's time at Barcelona may not have worked out but he remains a top-level operator and adds more quality and star power to Al Ahli. Getty -
Moussa Dembele (Al Ettifaq): A shrewd free transfer by Gerrard's Al Ettifaq, the French striker has moved to the Saudi Pro League side on a four-year deal and should provide the goals. AFP -
Neymar (Al Hilal). The Brazilian completed his move from PSG and is one of the biggest stars in the ever-expanding Saudi Pro League. He was unveiled in front of thousands of fans in Riyadh on Saturday. Getty -
Yannick Carrasco (Al Shabab). After 265 appearances across two spells at Atletico Madrid, the Belgian winger joined the Riyadh club for a reported fee of €15 million. Carrasco also spent two years in the Chinese Super League. EPA -
Georginio Wijnaldum (Al Ettifaq): The Dutch midfielder enhanced the Liverpool connection at Ettifaq, joining former teammate Jordan Henderson at the Damman club coached by Reds legend Steven Gerrard. Wijnaldum, 32, has signed a three-year contract. Reuters -
Gabri Veiga (Al Ahli): Widely regarded as one of the best midfield prospects in Spain, 21-year-old Veiga signed for Ahli on a three-year deal from Celta Vigo despite interest from Liverpool and Napoli. Veiga said he opted for the Saudi Pro League to "grow the game" in the kingdom. EPA -
Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr): A vital part of Manchester City's squad that clinched a treble of league, cup and Uefa Champions League in 2023, the Spaniard switched to Nassr over the summer to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. A fee of £23.6 million makes the 29-year-old the league's most expensive defender. Getty Images -
Otavio (Al Nassr): The Portugal midfielder scored 31 goals in 283 games in all competitions for Porto after joining the team in 2014. He linked up with Riyadh-based club after Porto accepted a bid of around $65 million. AFP -
Merih Demiral: (Al Ahli): The imposing Turkey centre-back boasts Sporting of Lisbon and Juventus among his previous clubs and stood out in Serie A across two seasons at Atalanta. The 25-year-old joined Ahli on a three-year contract. Getty
Donny van de Beek’s disastrous Manchester United spell may finally be coming to an end, with The Mirror reporting that he could return to previous club Ajax on loan. Van de Beek was signed by United for £35m by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020 but has struggled for form since moving to England. Repeatedly benched by successive United managers, the Dutchman has started just six games in three seasons in his time at Old Trafford. Now, though, the 26-year-old could be handed a lifeline by his former employers.
In need of striker reinforcements, Everton are said to be interested in Udinese striker Beto, according to Football Insider. The 25-year-old forward could head to Merseyside in a loan deal, with Everton then having an option to buy the Portuguese forward. Beto is contracted to Udinese until 2026, but the club are willing to part ways with him. Should Beto arrive at Goodison Park, it would be the Toffees second signing of a Portuguese forward in a matter of days following the arrival of 19-year-old Youssef Chermiti from Sporting Lisbon.
Barcelona are desperate to balance the books this summer, and they’re confident they can recoup €50m from a Premier League club for the services of Ansu Fati. The 20-year-old forward would prefer to stay at Camp Nou despite knowing he’s not a guaranteed starter, but the Blaugrana are facing a challenging situation in which they need to sell before they can even think of buying, and the club struggling to register all of its existing players as it is. Barcelona have already tried to place Fati with Wolverhampton Wanderers, a move the player rejected. However, he and his agent may decide a move is best if he wants to play regular football.
A number of Premier League sides are said to be interested in landing Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic, according to Sky Sports. The 21-year-old Serbian international had been all set to sign for Inter Milan for a fee of £17.3m, but talks with the Narezzurri broke down at the end of last week. Samardzic had even completed a medical with Inter, but is now currently on his way back to Udinese. That paves the way for a number of Premier League clubs to land themselves a midfield bargain.
