Transfer deadline day is fast approaching. With the window set to close Friday, Aug. 30, there are still several storylines to follow and sagas that require resolution. Below, we look at the most notable clubs and players to watch in the final days of the summer signing period.
What will Chelsea do next?
The Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital era at Chelsea continues to astound. An inexplicable approach to squad building has left manager Enzo Maresca with 39 senior players, according to Transfermarkt. Cutting that down to a reasonable amount in just five days is, frankly, impossible, so a number of relatively new signings are going to find themselves watching games from the stands this season. Chelsea have compiled a group that includes several excellent players, to be fair, but their hoarding has no guiding principle or consideration for how the pieces best fit together. It’s a mess, despite what Maresca will have you believe.
And they may not be done. Outgoings will obviously be the primary focus – Romelu Lukaku, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, and Kepa Arrizabalaga are just some of the marquee names who could find new clubs – but Chelsea, incredibly, could yet sign more players. At this point, what’s the difference? Their longstanding flirtation with Victor Osimhen isn’t going away, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is being tipped as a possible alternative. Meanwhile, the latest rumor involves Jadon Sancho because, clearly, Chelsea don’t have enough wingers and wide forwards. How Chelsea will operate in the next few days is a mystery, but whatever happens, it’ll be entertaining.
Will Liverpool sign … anyone?
Liverpool are the only Premier League club yet to make a signing this summer. Across Europe’s top five leagues, they’re joined in that category only by French side Montpellier. What gives? The notion that there’s no money available doesn’t seem accurate. Remember, this is the same club that struck a £110-million deal with Brighton & Hove Albion last summer for Moises Caicedo, only for the midfielder to spurn their advances in favor of Chelsea. The Reds also pushed hard for Martin Zubimendi earlier this month, who reportedly has a release clause in his contract worth over £50 million, but the Spanish midfielder opted to remain with Real Sociedad. The money’s there.
Liverpool are close to adding Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but the deal will reportedly see him remain on loan at Valencia until 2025. Arne Slot has maintained that he inherited a strong squad from Jurgen Klopp, which is true, and that improving on the existing crop of talent is difficult. He’s going to be relying primarily on internal growth. It’s also true, though, that he’d love another deep-lying midfielder, as evidenced by the pursuit of Zubimendi, who could slot into the No. 6 role and dictate play. There currently isn’t a perfect option within his squad, even if Ryan Gravenberch has shown early promise occupying that role. It’s worth monitoring Liverpool in the final week of the window to see if they have one big swing left.
Can Barca shed more salary?
Barcelona, amid continued financial mismanagement, remain unable to register marquee summer signing Dani Olmo. The club isn’t yet compliant with La Liga’s strict spending limit, which places a cap on all Spanish clubs. That limit, unique to each club, is determined by “the difference between a team’s revenue minus non-sporting outgoings and debt repayments,” according to Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN. Increasing revenue in such a short period of time seems unlikely, so the quickest path to salary compliance is by lowering the club’s wage bill.
Ilkay Gundogan was transparent that his decision to leave Catalonia and return to Manchester City earlier this month helped Barca financially, while they’ve also shipped off Vitor Roque, Clement Lenglet – both on loan – and Mikayil Faye in recent days. Alex Valle could join Celtic on loan, too. It’s unclear if that will be enough to register Olmo, the La Masia product, who has been forced to watch the first two matches of the season while Barca scramble to rectify the situation. Can they find someone to take Ferran Torres off their hands? Would Hansi Flick allow Eric Garcia to join Girona? Might Frenkie de Jong actually be sold? It’s all intriguing, especially considering Barca are also being linked with Juventus’ Federico Chiesa. Stay tuned.
Disgruntled stars, ongoing sagas
It feels like more clubs than usual are taking hardline stances with their players this summer, and that’s creating tension and resentment. Jadon Sancho‘s time at Manchester United is likely coming to an end, even if Erik ten Hag claims they’ve mended their relationship; Atalanta continue to play hardball with Teun Koopmeiners over his desired move to Juventus; the agent representing Victor Osimhen took aim at Napoli, demanding respect and saying the striker is “not a package to be shipped far away to make room for new prophets” amid his continued transfer saga; Raheem Sterling felt blindsided when he was left out of the Chelsea squad for their season opener and wants a quick resolution to his situation. All four clubs are dealing from a position of weakness.
In addition to those marquee players, here are several others to keep an eye on in the final week of the summer window:
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
Ivan Toney (Brentford)
Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)
Manuel Ugarte (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad)
They could all move. They could all stay. We’ll know for certain, one way or the other, when silly season comes to an end in five days.