Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

One transfer every Premier League club MUST complete during the summer window

With the transfer window now officially open, fans of all 20 Premier League clubs will be dreaming of signing a quality player (or two) this summer.

Manchester City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League this season just gone, but even Pep Guardiola will be looking to do business in the transfer market. As always, it promises to be a summer of long-running sagas and surprising rumours.

Each manager will have a shortlist and a priority signing, but who are they after? Here, Mirror Football lists one player each Premier League club MUST sign this summer. This story is likely to cause a bit of a debate in the comments below...

Arsenal - Declan Rice

An obvious pick. West Ham chairman David Sullivan has already confirmed Rice, 24, can leave the London Stadium this summer, which has put Arsenal and Manchester United on red alert. He is likely to cost more than £100million, but that won't put off the Gunners.

Declan Rice will leave West Ham this transfer window (PA)

Who do you think your club should sign? Let us know in the comments below!

Arsenal need to sign a central midfielder due to Granit Xhaka's departure. The Switzerland international, 30, is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen after seven years at the Emirates. Due to his age and talent, Rice would be a significant upgrade on Xhaka.

Aston Villa - Matteo Guendouzi

Speaking of Arsenal, who remembers Guendouzi? The Frenchman, 24, left the Emirates in the summer of 2020 after falling out of favour with Mikel Arteta but has rebuild his career at Marseille, even featuring for his country at last year's World Cup in Qatar.

Guendouzi's revival has captured the interest of a handful of clubs, including Villa. Unai Emery, who coached Guendouzi at Arsenal, is a fan of the aggressive midfielder and needs reinforcements ahead of a Europa Conference League campaign.

Bournemouth - Alex Scott

The 19-year-old is one of the Championship's most sought-after players after two stellar seasons with Bristol City. Scott was part of the England team that won the U19 Euros in 2022 and was recently named as the Championship's Young Player of the Season.

It's believed the midfielder could be available for £25million. According to the Daily Mail, Bournemouth are interested.

Brentford - Caoimhin Kelleher

The Bees could be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper, with a number of clubs after David Raya. As reported by The Athletic, Kelleher, 24, is ready to leave Liverpool in search of first-team football and there would be a spot at Brentford if Raya leaves.

Brighton - James Milner

The veteran, 37, was released by Liverpool and is expected to join Brighton. It's imperative the Seagulls get this deal over the line after selling Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool... of all teams. They could also lose Moises Caicedo before the end of the summer.

Burnley - Nathan Tella

The 23-year-old winger played a key role in Burnley 's Championship title-winning campaign - scoring 17 league goals - but has returned to Southampton following his loan spell. Burnley boss Vincent Kompany should do all he can to bring Tella back to Turf Moor.

Chelsea - Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe could be on the move this summer (Getty Images)

Chelsea have been a ridiculous club since Todd Boehly's takeover a year ago, so why not make a ridiculous suggestion. Mbappe, 24, will be available for transfer if he doesn't trigger a one-year extension in his Paris Saint-Germain contract by July 31.

The Blues have been the biggest spenders in Europe since Boehly's takeover and are expected to keep splashing the cash, despite the threat of Financial Fair Play (FFP). They also need a striker. Don't be surprised if they make an audacious bid for Mbappe.

Crystal Palace - Viktor Gyokeres

Palace could also do with some more firepower up front. Gyokeres, 25, might be the man for the job after 38 Championship goals for Coventry in the last two seasons. The Sweden international is likely to cost at least £20m, with his contract up in a year's time.

Everton - Chuba Akpom

Everton won't have a lot of money to spend this summer due to their FFP situation, but they still need to sign a striker with Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggling for fitness. A cheap option could be Middlesbrough's Chuba Akpom, who is out of contract next summer.

The former Arsenal forward, 27, scored 28 goals for Michael Carrick's team this season and could be sold to boost the former Man Utd captain's transfer budget. Akpom was recently named as the Championship's Player of the Season.

Fulham - Demarai Gray

One player who is tipped to leave Everton is Gray, with Fulham thought to be interested in the 27-year-old winger. Fulham will need to get their recruitment right again this summer if they are to build on their 10th-place finish.

Liverpool - Conor Gallagher

Liverpool's midfield struggled during the 2022-23 campaign, as they finished fifth in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp has responded by signing Mac Allister, but the German could still do with another young central midfielder to re-energise his midfield.

Gallagher, 23, would be a dream signing for the Reds. Chelsea need to thin out their hefty squad and Gallagher could be one of those players to make way. The England international has all the enthusiasm and dynamism needed to succeed under Klopp.

Luton - Ethan Horvath

Horvath played an important role in Luton's promotion to the Premier League but has returned to Nottingham Forest following his loan spell. The Hatters will be keen to bring the goalkeeper back to Kenilworth Road on a permanent deal this summer.

Manchester City - Josko Gvardiol

Guardiola's side are the best in Europe right now, but the trick is to buy when you're strong. The Man City boss will be keen to bring in fresh talent to keep his squad on their toes, and highly-rated defender Gvardiol, 21, seems like an obvious choice.

Manchester United - Harry Kane

Harry Kane is a transfer target for Manchester United (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag must replace Cristiano Ronaldo following his exit in November. Wout Weghorst was not good enough to replace the five-time Ballon d'Or winner... but Kane is. The England captain, 29, has just bagged another 30 Premier League goals.

Kane has one year remaining on his Tottenham contract and could be made available for transfer later in the window if he refuses to sign a new deal. The big question is whether Man Utd are willing to play the waiting game for him? They should be.

Newcastle - Raphinha

Eddie Howe will be looking to make a statement signing (not Neymar) after Newcastle finished third in the Premier League and Barcelona star Raphinha could be the man for the job. The Magpies are thought to be interested in the Brazil international, 26.

Nottingham Forest - Dean Henderson

Henderson's loan spell at Forest was cut short in January after he suffered a thigh injury. The 26-year-old goalkeeper is still recovering from the complaint and might not be fit again until August, but that shouldn't put Forest off from signing him on a permanent deal.

Henderson will be hoping to spend the next decade of his career as a Premier League regular. If Forest want to remain in the big time, they need to sign players of his calibre. Buying Henderson would be a sensible long-term decision.

Sheffield United - Tommy Doyle

Man City talent Doyle played a key role in Sheffield Utd's promotion and deserves to play in the Premier League, regardless of whether he returns to Bramall Lane or not. If Guardiola is happy for him to re-join the Blades, he would be a fantastic loan signing.

As would Doyle's Man City team-mate James McAtee, who has also just completed a loan spell with the Blades. The 20-year-old scored nine goals and provided three assists in the Championship last season to become a fan favourite at Bramall Lane.

Tottenham - David Raya

As mentioned earlier, Raya is wanted by a number of European clubs - including Tottenham. Spurs need a new goalkeeper after Hugo Lloris' 11-year spell in London came to an end. Spain international Raya, 27, is good enough - and young enough - to fill the void.

West Ham - James Ward-Prowse

With Rice set to leave the London Stadium, West Ham will need to land a new midfielder. Ward-Prowse, 28, is likely to be available after Southampton's relegation and is a goal threat, scoring 27 times in the Premier League since September 2020.

Wolves - Folarin Balogun

Wolves need a striker and Balogun, 21, could be the perfect fit after scoring 21 Ligue 1 goals for Reims last season. He has returned to England following that loan spell but is unlikely to get in Arsenal's team due to the presence of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.

Balogun will be keen to play first-team football after his successful season in France and could leave Arsenal to find it. Can Wolves persuade him to come to the West Midlands? Only time will tell. It promises to be an entertaining few months.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.