Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies 10 overseas stars who could headline the Premier League’s summer transfer window.
See: All the deals announced by Premier League clubs so far
Julian Alvarez (Argentina, Atletico Madrid)
Alvarez is a wonderfully gifted, versatile attacker, able to lead the line on his own or play in behind a centre-forward.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a phenomenal UEFA Champions League campaign, scoring 10 goals and making four assists for Atletico Madrid last season. His ball striking is up there with the very best, with his right foot especially deadly, even from long range.
Quick, nimble and capable of taking the ball past defenders with a dribble, Alvarez is always a slippery forward for defenders to contain.
Scoring 49 goals in 106 club appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, the former Manchester City player has strong numbers too, so it is no surprise champions Arsenal are being heavily linked with him, as well as Barcelona.
Watch: Alvarez's top five Premier League goals
Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast, RB Leipzig)
Reports suggest that Liverpool lead the chase for RB Leipzig’s 19-year-old sensation Diomande, who is one of the most coveted wingers in European football.
The Ivorian is left-footed but can score off either foot. He is also capable of operating on both flanks, although left wing is his most natural position.
Only three players in the Bundesliga created more chances than Diomande's 56 last season, with eight of those turning into assists. He also scored 12 league goals in a terrific breakthrough campaign.
When he runs with the ball, Diomande is a difficult man to stop. He laid on a league-high 32 opportunities (and seven assists) from ball carries in 2025/26, and six of his goals also came off the back of a dribble.
See: All you need to know about summer transfer window
Bradley Barcola (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
With just two years left on his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, the exciting wide man Barcola is being linked with a move to Arsenal or Liverpool to get more game time.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is quick, with an acceleration that always stretches opponents. A threat in behind, but also with the ball at his feet, only two players in the UEFA Champions League created more chances from a ball carry than Barcola's 15 last season.
Domestically, the 2025/26 season saw Barcola’s numbers dip, with 12 direct goal involvements in Ligue 1, only half of the previous campaign. Finishing remains an area for improvement, but talent-wise the winger is elite.
Ousmane Diomande (Ivory Coast, Sporting)
One of the most cultured young centre-backs in European football is attracting strong interest, including from Leeds United and Chelsea, if reports are to be believed.
The Ivory Coast star is excellent on the ball, averaging over 63 passes per 90 minutes in the UEFA Champions League for Sporting last season. His 93.49 per cent pass accuracy is also right up there among the very best, showing how calm and press-resistant he is in possession.
Tall and strong in the air, he physically dominates duels with opposing strikers. The 22-year-old is also quick across the turf, making some standout interventions in 2025/26.
Victor Munoz (Spain, Osasuna)
Newcastle United are reportedly looking to sign Spanish international Munoz from Osasuna in this transfer window.
The attacking midfielder is small and stocky in stature, but blessed with outstanding speed, using his low centre of gravity to explode past defenders. Clever in tight areas, Munoz uses a bright mind and quick feet to great effect.
The 22-year-old averages 15.3 metres per progressive ball carry – the best in LaLiga – meaning his directness on the ball is a real standout quality.
Munoz, who scored six league goals last season, is also adaptable and can shine off the left or right wing, as well as in behind the centre-forward.
Rafael Leao (Portugal, AC Milan)
Reaching double figures for goals in each of his last five seasons with AC Milan, Leao marries strong end product with attacking dynamism to great effect.
Tall, lean and fast, the Portugal international has always been recognised as a match-winner in waiting, but until Max Allegri arrived at San Siro that was always as an out-and-out left-winger.
Now used in a roving striker’s role, as part of a front two, Leao has developed another string to his bow and shown he can adapt to playing down the middle. According to reports, the 27-year-old is being monitored by Manchester United and Chelsea.
Maghnes Akliouche (France, AS Monaco)
Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Man Utd are said to be among the clubs keeping tabs on Monaco’s classy attacking midfielder.
Akliouche is a player with great imagination, smoothly cutting inside from the right or playing as a central No 10.
He topped Monaco’s rankings for chances created (44) and assists (six) last season, completing over 100 more passes inside the final third than any of his team-mates.
Sharp in tight spaces, and with an eye for opening rival teams up, Akliouche, now 24, looks ready to handle the challenge of Premier League football.
Lamine Camara (Senegal, AS Monaco)
Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland are all said to be keeping tabs on Monaco’s top-class central midfielder Camara.
The 22-year-old has been likened to N’Golo Kante as he is equally impressive on and off the ball. Very much the complete midfielder, the Senegal international destroys and creates in equal measure.
A fine technician, he created 35 chances and delivered four assists in Ligue 1 last season. Yet he is also hugely impressive when it comes to regaining possession, topping his club’s rankings for ball recoveries and duels won.
Capable of driving forward with the ball at his feet, and delivering accurate set pieces, Camara is an all-round gem.
Zion Suzuki (Japan, Parma)
Japan’s No 1 goalkeeper stands at 6ft 3in, with a muscular build, and is dominant when crosses come into his box, coming out to catch or punch the ball with conviction. His remarkable spring is regarded as a strength.
The 23-year-old Parma star uses his athletic frame very well when it comes to his shot-stopping too, building a reputation for making fabulous reflex saves.
These are qualities which have put the US-born player on the radar of several Premier League clubs across the last two years.
Valentin Barco (Argentina, Strasbourg)
Chelsea are being tipped to bring the former Brighton & Hove Albion youngster back to England from Strasbourg.
The Argentinian has played as a left-back and as a winger, but during his time at Strasbourg under Liam Rosenior and Gary O’Neil, the 5ft 7in star has become a highly rated central midfielder.
A master of the through-ball, Barco made 39 in Ligue 1 action last season, a full 22 more than Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha and Ousmane Dembele, who were the next closest. Calm and intelligent on the ball, the 21-year-old is a young player with stacks of technical ability.
Players not at World Cup who might join Premier League
Hayden Hackney
The EFL Championship Player of the Season, Hackney is a box-to-box central midfielder who always sets the tone for Middlesbrough, making them tick with his willingness to get on the ball and make things happen.
Excellent at drifting into space, the 23-year-old captain averaged 2.65 shots per 90 last season and created a very impressive 2.29 chances per game too.
A return of five goals and seven assists does not do justice to the influence Hackney had for Boro across 2025/26. His injury issues late on in the campaign undoubtedly derailed their promotion campaign. Hackney is ready to make the step up, with Everton said to be leading the race of a number of Premier League clubs.
Imran Louza
Morocco international Louza was by some distance Watford’s standout player last season.
From a central-midfield berth he created 26 more chances than anyone else at the club, with 74, as well as attempting 17 more shots than any of his team-mates (85). Scoring seven times, and making nine assists, he was a real talisman for the side.
The 27-year-old left-footer, who has blossomed across the past two seasons, is a wonderful long-range passer who wants to take matches by the scruff of the neck, prompting moves from a box-to-box position.
Tough in the tackle too, he is a well-rounded midfield talent.
It is little wonder Brighton, Fulham and Everton are all reportedly interested in bringing him to the Premier League.
Leo Scienza
The Brazilian wide man lit up the Championship across 2025/26 with a string of stellar individual displays for Southampton.
No one in the division came close to matching his 11 direct goal involvements from ball carries (six goals, five assists) as he constantly raided with quality down the left.
Smooth on the ball, and an exceptionally quick dribbler, the 27-year-old ended his first year in English football with seven league goals and 10 assists.
There is reportedly interest from Brazilian club Palmeiras, but Everton and Leeds are also said to be keen on Scienza.
Christos Tzolis
Producing an incredible 17 goals and 23 assists for Club Brugge in the Belgian top flight last season, Tzolis is linked with a move to Arsenal this summer.
Those are top-class numbers for a left-winger, who is renowned for making smart decisions at decisive moments. A clinical finisher, but also unselfish when a better option is available, the 24-year-old Greece international is maturing into an outstanding player.
Tzolis, who played 14 Premier League matches for Norwich City in 2021/22, is a terrific dribbler with electric pace, but his two-footedness gives him the biggest advantage. He may prefer his right, but many of the 24-year-old’s goals and assists also came via his left too.
Left to right: Hayden Hackney, Imran Louza, Leo Scienza and Christos Tzolis