Key 10 Players To Monitor For The Remaining Transfer Window

Over halfway through the main summer transfer window, several Premier League stars’ futures remain up in the air, and multiple high-profile moves are still on the cards.

The window reopened on June 16 (there had been an initial early one between June 1 and 10 before the Club World Cup) and will close on the evening of Monday, September 1.

Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Liam Delap (Chelsea) and Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) are among the marquee signings so far. But there are plenty more deals that clubs will be trying to get done over the next month — and players who will want to move on.

Here, The Athletic breaks down the key moves to watch out for over the coming month.

Alexander Isak
Newcastle’s stance all along has been that Alexander Isak is not for sale. However, as David Ornstein reported on Thursday, the Swedish striker has now told the club he wants to leave after three seasons and he has not travelled on their pre-season tour to Singapore and South Korea. Newcastle have been exploring potential replacements, in case they do end up selling.

Losing Isak’s eye for goal as they prepare to compete in the coming season’s Champions League would be a huge blow, but head coach Eddie Howe is clearly aware it could happen: “I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that’s not in my full control.”

Premier League champions Liverpool seem his most likely destination. The Anfield club indicated they would be willing to pay up to £120million ($160m) for Isak. A move has not progressed, but the player wanting a move could test Newcastle’s resolve. While Arsenal’s admiration for the 25-year-old is well-known, the arrival of his countryman and fellow striker Gyokeres at the Emirates Stadium probably changes their outlook.

Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea do not have Jackson up for sale, but he could move on in this window if they receive a big enough offer.

The Senegal international striker scored 10 goals in 30 Premier League games in 2024-25, but has come in for criticism at times, not least for his red card and two-match ban at the recent Club World Cup. Chelsea have added Delap and Joao Pedro to their attacking options in this window, so a transfer for the 24-year-old in the coming weeks could make sense for all parties.

He is under contract until 2033, so Chelsea have no need to sell. Manchester United had explored a deal for Jackson but have now ruled him out of their search due to the world champions’ asking price.

Jack Grealish
When Manchester City broke both theirs and the British transfer record to sign Grealish from Aston Villa in summer 2021, or when he helped them to a historic treble in 2022-23, they likely would not have expected to be saying goodbye to him in 2025.

Now, though, Grealish has fallen out of favour at the Etihad Stadium. He only started seven Premier League matches last season and was then left out of their Club World Cup squad entirely.

“Do I want the Jack that won the treble? Yeah, I want it, but I try to be honest with myself,” City manager Pep Guardiola said in January. “I fought a lot for him, fought a lot to be here. I know that he can do it, because I saw him. I saw his level and I want that, every single training session and every single game.”

Guardiola insisted excluding Grealish from City’s final Premier League game of the season in May was “nothing personal” — but whatever the reason for his drop down the pecking order, an exit feels beneficial for both parties. Grealish is better suited to a more creative and free-flowing role than he has had at City, and he needs minutes to stand any chance of being in England’s 2026 World Cup squad. Guardiola has been vocal about wanting to trim his number of first-team players at City.

A destination is not clear, especially given Grealish’s high wages and the fact he turns 30 in September.

Alejandro Garnacho
On the other side of Manchester, there are several players United want to move on this summer. At 21, Garnacho must be the most attractive of that group to suitors.

After a public fallout from his lack of minutes in May’s Europa League final, and head coach Ruben Amorim telling Garnacho in front of his team-mates to find a new club, his exit has gone from something United would have reluctantly considered in January to a key aim in July.

Unlike most of United’s so-called ‘bomb squad’, Garnacho still has credit in the bank from strong recent performances, which should make it easier for the club to command a respectable fee for him. As reported in the latest Transfer DealSheet, Chelsea are interested in the Argentina winger.

Amorim has insisted that United’s out-of-favour players will not be sold off on the cheap, and there is a chance of them rejoining the team.

Son Heung-min
Tottenham Hotspur have a difficult decision to make on Son’s future.

Whatever happens, he will always be the captain who ended the club’s 17-year trophy drought in that Europa League final in May, but he turned 33 this month and has less than a year left on his contract. The Athletic reported on July 23 that Los Angeles FC want to sign Son before the MLS transfer window closes on August 21.

New Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has not decided whether Son will still be captain in the coming season. When asked about the forward’s future in his first press conference after taking the job, Frank said: “It’s always tricky, situations like that. Right now, I have a player who is fully committed and training well. If a player has been at a club a long time, then there will always be a decision for the club to take.”

Christopher Nkunku
The France international forward is among the players Chelsea are considering selling this summer to cut down their squad size. With the arrivals of Delap and Joao Pedro, Nkunku’s minutes do not seem likely to improve — and he only made nine Premier League starts last season.

The Athletic reported that Chelsea have significantly reduced their asking price for Nkunku, from £65million in January to about £43.3m in the current window. He has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs, as well as clubs in Italy and Germany.

Marc Guehi
Newcastle could reignite their pursuit of the 25-year-old England centre-back. They would not meet Crystal Palace’s £65million asking price last summer, but now Guehi is into the final year of his contract, that figure could come down. The Athletic reported in this week’s Transfer DealSheet that Liverpool are interested in Guehi after selling fellow defender Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen.

Palace will not want to let their captain leave, but without consenting to a move now, they risk losing him for nothing as a free agent next summer.

Emiliano Martinez
The Aston Villa goalkeeper, the holder of the Yashin Trophy and FIFA The Best Men’s Goalkeeper award, has been linked with moves all summer.

Martinez has been crucial in Villa’s rise over his five seasons there, but his emotional farewell to fans at the end of the season suggested he could be on the move. A transfer would help Villa financially: he is under contract until 2029, which could help bring in a significant fee, and has a high salary.

The 32-year-old had been linked with Manchester United, but The Athletic reported in this week’s Transfer DealSheet that a move to Old Trafford has now been effectively ruled out. Villa would only agree to a permanent deal rather than a loan, which United will not entertain due to the cost.

There was interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League earlier this year, though there are doubts over whether the idea of going there would be attractive for the player.

Benjamin Sesko
It could finally be time for Sesko’s arrival in the Premier League.

The 22-year-old RB Leipzig striker’s new contract was signed last year with the understanding that if an elite club — by Sesko’s definition — offered a fee in the region of €80million to €90m (£69.2m-£77.9m/$92.4m-$104m), he would be allowed to leave.

Those elite teams could include Manchester United and Newcastle. Both have been linked to the Slovenian before: Newcastle tried to sign him in 2022, while the Mancunians have tracked him as far back as when he was 16.

Sesko is not certain to leave Leipzig. He is not against spending another year at the German club and has trained well during their pre-season camp. Even so, The Athletic reported that Sesko would be a top target for Newcastle if Isak leaves, and that Manchester United have narrowed their striker search to him and one other option…

Ollie Watkins
Alongside Sesko, Watkins is Manchester United’s other striker target, as reported by Laurie Whitwell. Aston Villa wanted £60million from Arsenal for the England international in January; United would not spend that much either, and would look to find an agreement at £40m to £45m.

The key priority for United is adding a Premier League-proven goalscorer. Watkins would be a fairly short-term solution as he turns 30 this year, but fits the experience criteria. He registered 16 Premier League goals in 2024-25 — by contrast, Rasmus Hojlund scored four for United.

As with Sesko, the Old Trafford club are working to establish the potential costs of a deal.

Nytimes.com