Football365

With Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Reguilon linked with ‘sensational returns’ to Manchester United, who could Sir Jim Ratcliffe re-sign this summer?

Memphis Depay (free agent)

Freshly without a club after being released by Atletico Madrid, 30-year-old Depay has emerged as a potential freebie signing for European clubs and is being linked with several Serie A teams.

Man Utd splashed out £25m to sign Depay in 2015 and he – like most of their big-money signings – struggled before being ushered out of the door after a disappointing season or two in the Premier League.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear Depay’s move to Man Utd came too soon and he would have benefited from making this great leap after a couple of maturing years elsewhere.

Despite INEOS chief Ratcliffe recently taking control at Old Trafford, Man Utd are working with a tight budget this summer and the free transfer of Depay could be an astute move as he would add depth to an area of the pitch where head coach Erik ten Hag is seriously lacking.

Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)

Man Utd’s decision to cash in on Elanga last summer for £15m was considered a natural progression under Ten Hag as the club attempted to make steps towards *once again* challenging for the Premier League title.

The same treatment was expected to be given to Scott McTominay, who ended up being one of Man Utd’s most reliable performers in a miserable season which saw the club take several significant steps back after Ten Hag’s promising debut year as head coach.

While Man Utd benefited from McTominay’s solid but unremarkable presence, the same can be said for Elanga, who would have been given plenty of opportunities by Ten Hag, especially considering the Jadon Sancho saga.

Is Elanga good enough to be first choice at Man Utd? Probably not. But he flourished during his 14-goal involvement debut campaign at Nottingham Forest and ongoing reports linking him with Newcastle United are certainly justified.

READ: Man Utd: Rashford, Casemiro sold and Mount stays as Ratcliffe gets rid of 11 in summer fire sale

Angel Gomes (Lille)

One of *very few* positives to come from the 2023/24 season from Man Utd’s perspective was the emergence of their youngsters, with Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund offering hope of a promising future in a season full of misery.

And had Gomes been offered more first-team assurances after breaking through at Old Trafford, he could be providing an exciting front-foot alternative to Man Utd’s midfield department.

Since leaving, Gomes (out of contract in 2025) has racked up over 100 appearances for Ligue Un outfit Lille and he’s coming off a 10-assist season, which should eventually see him earn an improved deal or decent move elsewhere.

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Chelsea outcast Lukaku was the inspiration for this article after Italian media claimed Man Utd are plotting his ‘sensational return’ as they consider him a ‘Plan B’ to £34m top target Joshua Zirkzee.

Belgium exited Euro 2024 prematurely but Lukaku would be among the tournament’s leading scorers if it were not for VAR trolling him after netting 21 goals while on loan at AS Roma.

Lukaku’s performances at Euro 2024 added to his enigmatic tag as he’s far from spectacular to watch. But especially in Serie A, he’s a proven goalscorer and while his spell at Man Utd was littered with criticism, he still managed to grab 42 goals in his 96 appearances.

Zirkzee would certainly be a far more popular and long-term solution as Ratcliffe searches for a striker to compete with Hojlund, the loan/permanent (on a one/two-year deal) return for Lukaku would not be a disastrous alternative.

Andreas Pereira (Fulham)

Elanga and Gomes are examples of former Red Devils who have impressed as big fish in small ponds elsewhere after departing Man Utd and the same can be said for Pereira.

The Brazilian could never truly establish himself as a first-team mainstay at Old Trafford, but has found a loving home at Fulham and is coming off two highly successful seasons at Craven Cottage.

Another target of Newcastle United, Pereira has plenty of options to leave Fulham this summer and could provide decent cover for Bruno Fernandes, provided the Portugal international doesn’t leave this summer.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…

👉 Ornstein: Man Utd ‘now close’ to signing as the Red Devils ‘work to finalise’ first summer transfer

👉 Man Utd: Fernandes ‘decides’ to leave with Ratcliffe ‘satisfied’ with low-cost Barcelona ‘offer’

👉 Man Utd ‘offer’ England star to Barcelona as Ten Hag looks to implement a ‘historic squad clean-up’

Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham Hotspur)

Last summer, Man Utd re-signed a defender as Jonny Evans returned to Old Trafford, with an injury crisis forcing Ten Hag to play him with alarming regularity. And this summer, they are reportedly pursuing the signature of another former defender with left-back Reguilon linked with the Red Devils.

Reguilon’s move to Man Utd from Premier League rivals Spurs was one of last summer’s more surprising transfers and his loan at Old Trafford was prematurely cancelled in January. This was a brainless decision as his exit meant Ten Hag was without a natural left-back for the run-in as Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia endured injury woes.

The Spaniard featured more regularly for Brentford during the run-in and would only provide cover for Luke Shaw, who Man Utd should be looking to replace.

📣TO THE COMMENTS! Who should Man Utd sign this summer? Join the debate here

Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund)

Two players with a Man Utd history starred as surprise packages Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League final. One is expected to return to Carrington for training with Ratcliffe switching his transfer stance and the other is Sabitzer, one of the stand-out performers at Euro 2024.

Austria’s exit in the round of 16 (via a thriller against Turkey) came came a couple of games earlier than expected after ex-United interim boss Ralf Rangnick and his entertaining side became dark horses to go all the way in Germany.

Sabitzer did not do enough during his loan at Man Utd to justify his deal being made permanent but has performed at a whole different level this season and this version of the 30-year-old would be a worthwhile addition to Ten Hag’s squad.

Wilfried Zaha (Galatasaray)

Zaha never came close to ensuring Sir Alex Ferguson’s last signing as Man Utd boss was a success. Our ranking of their signings after his retirement makes for a bleak read, mind.

The Crystal Palace legend came back to haunt his former club last season as he contributed to Man Utd’s disasterclass against new club Galatasaray in the Champions League.

The Ivory Coast international was long overdue a big move away from Palace, but his switch to Galatasaray was somewhat underwhelming after he had been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea in previous windows.

Reports suggest he’s already eyeing a return to the Premier League and a potential redemption arc at Old Trafford would be one of next season’s more intriguing sub-plots.

Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham have all breached the top ten for biggest uncapped English signings ever, but Manchester United might never be beaten.

These players were all uncapped at the time of their signing; whether they went on to represent England is immaterial.

Brewster’s first four senior appearances for Liverpool came in the Community Shield, FA Cup and League Cup. The forward made almost as many Champions League final matchday squads as he did Premier League benches with the Reds but Sheffield United believed in the hype and parted with what will likely forever remain an entirely hypothetical maximum fee of £23.5m.

With five goals and two relegations in 77 games for the Blades, Brewster has not come close to realising the potential which convinced Liverpool to insist upon an expired £40m buy-back clause in his sale. An England call hardly beckons, which ought to please grumpy old nemesis Danny Murphy.

Within four months of his second Premier League move – Maddison actually joined Norwich in the winter before their 2016 relegation, being loaned straight back to Coventry – there came a first England call-up. But the playmaker did not feature and instead had to wait another year for that inaugural cap.

Maddison has gone to a World Cup and made a provisional European Championship squad but only barely has more caps as a Spurs player (four) than during his time with Leicester (three).

“That is my dream – it’s every young player from England’s dream,” he said in April 2023 of an international call-up. “That has to be my goal. I’m hungry, I’m young and I’ve got a lot to give.”

The 24-year-old, Newcastle’s last signing of the pre-PIF era, belongs to that lost era of Declan Rice midfield partners; Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have jumped the queue.

There was a time when Godfrey could be lumped in with Benjamin White and nary an eyelid was batted. “These two are flexible, they play in different roles and can play left and right. This is a great opportunity for us to know them a bit better and for them to work with the team,” Southgate said after naming the pair in the provisional squad for Euro 2021.

The manager made the right decision in taking White over Godfrey (and probably the wrong one in picking Steve Holland over White). We have got to know both a bit better since and would no longer consider them equals. Although Europa League winners Atalanta know who they prefer.

Gary O’Neil must have been sick of the sight of Bournemouth in summer 2023, losing out on top Wolves target Scott to the team which traded him for Andoni Iraola months prior.

Scott, then a teenager, eventually impressed after overcoming an injury which delayed his Bournemouth debut. On a different timeline he really might have made that England squad for the Euros but his first U21 call only came in March.

It was A Big Thing when Aston Villa agreed to chuck £20m Bournemouth’s way in the process of making the loan of Mings a more permanent feature in 2019.

The centre-half had played a key part in their rise from the Championship and as that year’s official Promoted Team That Makes A Load Of New Signings, it made perfect sense from Villa’s viewpoint if no-one else’s. An England squad place arrived a few months later and the Villa captaincy followed in 2021, much to Steven Gerrard’s future chagrin.

READ NEXT: Tyrone Mings for £20m proves fees are irrelevant

Manchester United pulled out all the stops and even wheeled in Sir Alex Ferguson but Borussia Dortmund’s pitch involved nonsense like clear pathways to the first team and boring Bellingham decided to make the best possible decision for his career instead of picking based on banter and vibes because he is boring.

Within four months of his Germany move, Bellingham was firmly embedded in the England set-up, not to be moved for about two decades. He cannot have been far off doing a Jay Bothroyd and claiming a Three Lions caps while playing for a lower-division club.

Ramsdale was as uncapped by the senior England side when he joined Arsenal as when he moved back to Sheffield United from Bournemouth the year before. The only difference this time was the ridicule he faced upon that switch to north London as a twice-relegated keeper signed as back-up for Bernd Leno.

It took Ramsdale a couple of months to prove the doubters wrong and not much longer to force his way into the England picture. He plays about as often for them as he does Arsenal now, so not much.

It is a dreadful shame that the 24-year-old Sessegnon remains uncapped and now unattached following his release from Tottenham. A total of 57 appearances in five seasons leaves no mystery as to the problem for a talented player who has been derailed by injuries.

MORE TRANSFER COVERAGE FROM F365

👉 The 20 biggest transfers in the world in the 2024 summer transfer window

👉 The last five times every Premier League club broke transfer record, including Chelsea and Spurs disasters

“The club’s only going forward, so it’s the best thing I can be doing,” said Pickford upon his move from Sunderland to Everton, who had just finished 7th in the Premier League and have come 8th, 8th, 12th, 10th, 16th, 17th and 15th in the subsequent seven campaigns.

His first England call-up came that August before his Three Lions debut in the November. No-one has been able to out-rave him between the sticks for his country in the meantime; Pickford is four clean sheets and eight caps behind Gordon Banks.

“If I play week in, week out next season, I will be in contention for a senior team call-up. I’ve spoken to Gareth and the door is open,” said Madueke last June, before starting 13 Premier League games and beating Mykaylo Mudryk for goals and assists.

That route presumably still exists but Enzo Maresca will have to consistently pick Madueke and thus frequently overlook Chelsea’s many other hundred young forwards.

The outlier in a summer of egregious PSR tomfoolery, Dewsbury-Hall made his professional debut at 21 and thus skipped every stage of the England youth set-up. Being great for Leicester was not enough to register on the radar; simply being at Chelsea likely improves his senior chances.

Leeds were ‘heartbroken’ to lose the boyhood brilliance of an academy product Brentford bid £35m for and, according to some outlets, Tottenham paid up to £40m to sign. But Moussa Sissoko has most commonly been attached to teenager Gray, who has 24 combined caps for England U15s, U16s, U17s, U19s, U20s and U21s.

Kalvin Phillips made his England debut before his Premier League bow. If Southgate cannot function without his safety blanket, perhaps he needs to look at Leeds again.

Signed by Saints from Chelsea for just £5m in 2021, right-back Livramento earned Southampton a massive profit after just 34 appearances, his spell cruelly curtailed by injury.

That likely contributed to his slow start at Newcastle, eventually turning out 35 times in his debut season and helping gradually wean Eddie Howe off his Kieran Trippier fix. It will take something even stronger to curb Southgate’s addiction.

One season as a centre-forward was enough to tempt Aston Villa into parting with up to £33m for Watkins in September 2020. Those £5m in add-ons have surely been achieved across 70 goals, 13 England caps and Champions League qualification, even if he frustratingly remains on the international periphery.

With only 12 career appearances to his name by the time he joined Newcastle on loan, Hall was rather unsurprisingly not in the England picture. A first season with the Magpies in which he made his move permanent but still struggled for game time for the most part did little to improve those prospects.

While Gibbs-White is guaranteed a fair few mentions in every international break, and has even been specifically name-dropped a few times recently by Southgate, his dragging of Forest through successive survival campaigns has not quite translated to England honours yet.

It will come. The 24-year-old has won the U17 World Cup and U21 Euros and that almost guarantees a clear pathway to at least a handful of senior caps once the latest tournament is in the rear-view mirror.

It was assumed by many that Newcastle had taken leave of their entire senses when throwing as much as £45m at Everton for a forward with seven goals and eight assists in 78 games. Gordon has already outstripped both before hitting that appearance mark at Newcastle, with Liverpool speculation leaving his ‘head in a mess’.

Gordon’s remarkable development – at one point only foreseen by the wise Todd Boehly – has been underlined by his role at Euro 2024 as the chief England Clamour.

There will be a Max Kilman in around here somewhere if and when his move to West Ham goes through.

It is easy to forget just how ludicrous this move was at the time. It made absolutely no sense: Chelsea did not need yet another young, exciting forward and if Palmer was of the requisite quality, Manchester City would never have let him go.

But Chelsea have thrown more than enough at the wall for some to stick and Palmer was the shoot of inspiration rather than yet another questionable deal. By the end of the year he had become their most important player and that responsibility only increased to the tune of an England debut, goal and place in their European Championship squad.

Palmer had played just 41 games at senior level when Chelsea signed him for the rough equivalent of around £1m per career appearance. It has gone well.

Crystal Palace supporters probably felt that it was the usual show of big club bias from Southgate to not cap Aaron Wan-Bissaka, then call him up two months after he joined Manchester United. But the Euro 2024 squad proved that Palace are the manager’s new favourite club, and the right-back remains as uncapped at Old Trafford as he ever was at Selhurst Park.

Tottenham have already identified their ‘next big transfer’ this summer after securing a deal for Archie Gray from Leeds United, according to reports.

Spurs completed the signing of Leeds midfielder Gray in a player-plus-cash deal which saw Joe Rodon return to Elland Road earlier this week.

Gray, 18, has attracted plenty of admirers after an impressive breakout season and Brentford had a bid in the region of £35million rejected on Sunday.

It opened the door for Spurs to swoop for the England Under-21 international, who has signed a six-year deal with the Premier League club after they paid a fee between £25m and £30m to secure his services alongside the sweetener of former loanee Rodon going back to Leeds on a permanent basis.

And now BBC Sport claim that Tottenham ‘are keen to sign a forward as their next big transfer’ after Gray’s arrival, while players like Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon are on the exit ramp.

Wolves winger Pedro Neto is likely to be on their list of attackers they pursue this summer with former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp previously calling the Portugal international a “world-class player”.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365

👉 Tottenham keep or sell: Postecoglou to offload nine players this summer but keep Richarlison

👉 Premier League five-year net spend table: Spurs closing on Man Utd and Arsenal

👉 Tottenham star ‘will pack his bags’ in Man Utd or PL move as another player gives exit ‘mandate’ to agents

Redknapp said last year: “I think he’s a world-class player. They can certainly hurt teams.”

And transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tottenham are interested in the Wolves winger but they are unsure over his injury record.

Romano told his transfer update live show: “Pedro Neto and Spurs, he is one of the names they have on the list. Pedro Neto, for sure, the only doubt has always been on injuries, so that is the point to clarify on Pedro Neto, but he’s one of the players they appreciate.”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is proving a massive pull for players with Gray revealing that playing for the Australian was a massive pull for him.

Gray told the club’s official website: “It’s obviously a massive club and an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. I’m just really excited to play and get started with the team. It still hasn’t sunk in to be honest, I don’t think it will for the next few days.

“Maybe until we’ve played a few games, until I’ve got to meet everyone, it won’t have sunk in. I’m really excited and looking forward to it. It’s a massive opportunity for me and so I’m really excited.

“Another thing is it’s a massive project under Ange and it’s something that I wanted to be a part of. I’m not going to lie, I’m a massive Celtic fan so I love him!

“My whole family loves him and I haven’t really said this to be fair but I loved watching him at Celtic and I loved watching him here last season – he’s a massive factor because playing under a really good manager is really important for me.

“It’s a young group here and I feel like I can be right at home, hopefully get playing some games and challenge on the pitch. There are so many huge names here and to be honest I’m just really grateful that I’ll be able to train with them every day.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to get playing with them on the pitch but initially I just can’t wait to train with them and get to know them. I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”

William Gallas thinks Tottenham could push Arsenal “close” for the Premier League title next season as he makes his early prediction.

The Gunners pushed Manchester City all the way in the title race last campaign with Mikel Arteta’s side only missing out by two points on the final day of the season.

Arteta has improved Arsenal each year with many expecting them to challenge once again or even win the whole thing with the right signings.

Tottenham also had a promising first season under Ange Postecoglou with the Australian appeasing the Spurs fanbase by playing an attractive brand of attacking football, while bringing in some exciting young players.

Spurs fell away towards the end of the season, eventually finishing fifth and missing out on the Champions League, but there is plenty to build on for the 2024/25 campaign.

And, although Gallas expects Arsenal to win the Premier League title, he reckons Tottenham will get “close” to the summit next season.

Gallas told GiveMeSport: “I think Arsenal are going to win the Premier League next season.

“They have all the ingredients to be the champions after coming so close in the last two years. They made some mistakes, but they now know exactly how good they need to be to lift the trophy. They have great players, and they might need one or two more, but they will be champions next season.

“I also expect Tottenham will improve and do better than last season. They need a good start to the season.

“Unfortunately, they dropped points at the end of last season, which is why they finished where they did, but the manager will know what he has to change about his philosophy in order to take Tottenham to the next level. I expect Tottenham to be very competitive in the Premier League next season. They might not win it, but they will be close.”

MORE ARSENAL COVERAGE ON F365…

👉 ‘Imminent’ £47m Arsenal transfer deal for Serie A star Calafiori labelled a ‘disaster’

👉 Arsenal put ‘money on the table’ as they ‘go all out’ against Chelsea to hijack Liverpool transfer

👉 Real Madrid pressure ‘could be too great’ for Arsenal as Gunners star could follow Mbappe to Bernabeu

Gallas has not been as impressed by Chelsea – who have invested heavily under their owners – and insists they need to get back into the top four as a minimum next term.

The former Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea defender added: “If I am being honest, it hasn’t started well for the new ownership at Chelsea.

“They made too many changes in such a short time, that’s what has put them in a difficult position. I hope the new manager is there for a long time because Chelsea are buying young players on long contracts.

“Last year they finished sixth in the Premier League and Chelsea are a club that has to win trophies. It’s a club that doesn’t think about two or three years into the future, they just think about now and winning. This season they need to finish in the top four and get back into the Champions League, and maybe lift another cup.”

Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon ‘will’ leave Spurs in the summer transfer window with a move to Man Utd or another Premier League club likely, according to reports.

Spurs are looking to build on a positive first season under Ange Posteocoglou, which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League and narrowly miss out on Champions League football.

Tottenham fans are now much happier with the style of play under the Australian and there’s a feeling that they could be even more successful next season with a sprinkling of quality signings.

However, they could still move on some players to free up more wages and transfer funds for new signings with Reguilon one of those players who could depart.

Reguilon performed well in the second half of last season on loan at Brentford but the Bees did not negotiate a future fee clause and the Spaniard returned to Tottenham at the end of the campaign.

Reports in Spain claim that Reguilon ‘will pack his bags this summer’ but that his ‘future lies in the Premier League’ as Man Utd and West Ham have ‘once again shown interest’.

The report adds that ‘the elite of the Premier League’ are waiting for Reguilon – who spent the first half of last season on loan at Man Utd – ‘with open arms’.

Another full-back could also be on his way out of Spurs with claims in Italy that Emerson Royal has given his agents a ‘mandate’ to seal his exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365

👉 Tottenham keep or sell: Postecoglou to offload nine players this summer but keep Richarlison

👉 Premier League five-year net spend table: Spurs closing on Man Utd and Arsenal

👉 Archie Gray completes Tottenham switch as Joe Rodon returns to Leeds in transfer sweetener

It is understood that Royal wants a move to Serie A giants AC Milan with interest from Spanish side Villarreal put on the back-burner amid interest from the Rossoneri.

Tottenham currently ‘have their accounts in order’ and are not willing to budge from their €25m asking price for the Brazilian, while Milan are wanting to spend just €17m.

The report adds that there is a feeling a deal can be struck for around €20m but it will require ‘strong mediation work’ from Royal’s agents and intermediaries.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tottenham are one of the clubs interested in signing Rennes youngster Desire Doue this summer.

Romano said on his Playback: “It’s true that Tottenham have a genuine interest in this boy. This is not something new. I mean, the interest is there and he is one of the players appreciated by the Tottenham board.

“Doue is one of the best talents in his position, and he is on the list of several clubs and the list of Tottenham.

“First of all, Tottenham have signed Archie Gray and that is a wonderful signing for Tottenham. But it’s also true that Desire Doue is another player they are considering. Internally, they already expressed their interest to the agents of the player, so Doue is one to watch for Tottenham – but not only for Tottenham, as several clubs are following this boy.”

Every Premier League club has broken their transfer record at least once since Manchester United last did. Declan Rice is fighting against the Arsenal tide.

Arsenal

Mesut Ozil – £42.5m (Real Madrid, September 2013)

Alexandre Lacazette – £46.5m (Lyon, July 2017)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £55.5m (Borussia Dortmund, January 2018)

Nicolas Pepe – £72m (Lille, August 2019)

Declan Rice – £100m plus £5m add-0ns (West Ham, July 2023)

Three of those players subsequently had their contracts terminated early, while Lacazette was at least allowed to see out his Arsenal deal before leaving on a free transfer when it expired. All the best, Dec.

Aston Villa

Darren Bent – £18m (Sunderland, January 2011)

Wesley Moraes – £22m (Club Brugge, June 2019)

Ollie Watkins – £28m, rising to £33m (Brentford, September 2020)

Emi Buendia – £30m, rising to £38m (Norwich, June 2021)

Moussa Diaby – £43.2m, rising to £51.9m (Bayer Leverkusen, July 2023)

Add-ons make things a little murky – Watkins has surely achieved his while Buendia has not – but the total value of the package to bring in Diaby was in a different market to where Villa usually deal and Champions League money has not quite changed that yet because of pesky PSR rules.

Bournemouth

Tyrone Mings – £8m (Ipswich, June 2015)

Benik Afobe – £10m (Wolves, January 2016)

Jordon Ibe – £15m (Liverpool, July 2016)

Nathan Ake – £20m (Chelsea, June 2017)

Jefferson Lerma – £25m (Levante, August 2018)

That is a neat snapshot of Bournemouth’s entire existence as a Premier League-adjacent entity, including that period during which they seemed wholly determined to feed the myth of Michael Edwards.

Brentford

Kristoffer Ajer – £13.5m (Celtic, July 2021)

Keane Lewis-Potter – £16m, rising to £20m (Hull, July 2022)

Kevin Schade – £22m (Freiburg, July 2023)

Nathan Collins – £23m (Wolves, July 2023)

Igor Thiago – £30m (Club Brugge, February 2024)

The previous two record signings bumped off this Brentford list by more recent deals were Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney; the hope is that Igor Thiago can have anything close to their success.

Brighton

Jose Izquierdo – £13.5m (Club Brugge, August 2017)

Jurgen Locadia – £14m (PSV, January 2018)

Alireza Jahanbakhsh – £17m (AZ Alkmaar, July 2018)

Adam Webster – £20m (Bristol City, August 2019)

Joao Pedro – £30m (Watford, May 2023)

Brilliant as Brighton are, their transfer strength has been in identifying rough diamonds from faraway lands to polish and move on for considerable profit rather than spending big. Pedro had a fine enough first season and there are high hopes for Yankuba Minteh, whose deal to join from Newcastle at least matched the Brazilian’s fee.

Chelsea

Alvaro Morata – £58m (Real Madrid, July 2017)

Kepa Arrizabalaga – £71m (Athletic Bilbao, August 2018)

Kai Havertz – £75.8m (Leverkusen, September 2020)

Romelu Lukaku – £97.5m (Inter Milan, August 2021)

Enzo Fernandez – £106.8m (Benfica, February 2023)

There is a genuine case to say Fernandez is legitimately already the best of those Chelsea signings, which reflects well on no-one. But Todd Boehly has continued that proud tradition of general waste, with £100m Moises Caicedo finally approaching his best form as the other half of a potentially sensational midfield.

Crystal Palace

Dwight Gayle – £4.5m (Peterborough, July 2013)

James McArthur – £7m (Wigan, September 2014)

Yohan Cabaye – £10m (PSG, July 2015)

Andros Townsend – £13m (Newcastle, July 2016)

Christian Benteke – £27m (Liverpool, August 2016)

A ludicrous fact: not a single one of those signings was made by Roy Hodgson (nine transfer windows in charge). Crystal Palace presumably still regret giving Alan Pardew (four transfer windows in charge) quite so much pocket money.

Everton

Yakubu Aiyegbini – £11.3m (Middlesbrough, August 2007)

Marouane Fellaini – £15m (Standard Liege, September 2008)

Romelu Lukaku – £28m (Chelsea, July 2014)

Jordan Pickford – £30m (Sunderland, June 2017)

Gylfi Sigurdsson – £45m (Swansea, August 2017)

Not sure what to say about that. It would probably make the best five-a-side team of any club on this list. Would love to see Lukaku at Powerleague.

Fulham

Steed Malbranque – £4.5m (Lyon, July 2001)

Edwin van der Sar – £7m (Juventus, August 2001)

Steve Marlet – £11.5m (Lyon, August 2001)

Konstantinos Mitroglou – £12m (Olympiakos, January 2014)

Jean Michael Seri – £25m (Nice, July 2018)

Fulham do like to use their regular Premier League promotions, or in the case of Mitroglou imminent relegations, to open new transfer doors.

MORE TRANSFER COVERAGE FROM F365

👉 The 20 biggest transfers in the world in the 2024 summer transfer window

👉 Five-year Premier League net spend table

👉 Europe’s top 10 biggest spenders in 2024 summer window includes six Premier League clubs

Ipswich

Steve Sedgley – £1m (Tottenham, June 1994)

Marcus Stewart – £2.5m (Huddersfield, February 2000)

Hermann Hreidarsson – £4.5m (Wimbledon, August 2000)

Matteo Sereni – £4.8m (Sampdoria, August 2001)

Omari Hutchinson – £20m, rising to £22.5m (July 2024)

Not ashamed to say that looking at the record transfer progression of clubs who have spent the last couple of decades outside the top flight – particularly those who once were in the Premier League – might be the most fun one can have within the boundaries of written law.

Leicester

Nampalys Mendy – £13m (Nice, July 2016)

Ahmed Musa – £16m (CSKA Moscow, July 2016)

Islam Slimani – £29.7m (Sporting, September 2016)

Ayoze Perez – £30m (Newcastle, July 2019)

Youri Tielemans – £40m (Monaco, July 2019)

They indulged in the summer after winning the Premier League title and during their first summer with Brendan Rodgers in charge. That’s what the smell of trophies and mince will do to you.

Liverpool

Fernando Torres – £20.2m (Atletico Madrid, July 2007)

Luis Suarez – £22.7m (Ajax, January 2011)

Andy Carroll – £35m (Newcastle, January 2011)

Mo Salah – £36.9m (Roma, June 2017)

Virgil van Dijk – £75m (Southampton, January 2018)

It is probably safe to suggest that Darwin Nunez has not activated enough add-ons to become Liverpool’s record signing just yet. That initial £64m fee paid to Benfica can rise as high as £85m, but not any time soon.

Manchester City

Aymeric Laporte – £57.2m (Athletic Bilbao, January 2018)

Riyad Mahrez – £60m (Leicester, July 2018)

Rodri – £62.8m (Atletico Madrid, July 2019)

Ruben Dias – £64.3m (Benfica, September 2020)

Jack Grealish – £100m (Aston Villa, August 2021)

As masters of the £50m transfer and really anything in that general ballpark, it seemed as though Pep Guardiola had rather unfairly cracked the art of the £100m move. Grealish overcame the usual season one struggles to contribute to a Treble in his second campaign before unlocking the lesser-seen difficult third Pep year.

Manchester United

Rio Ferdinand – £29.3m (Leeds, July 2002)

Dimitar Berbatov – £30.8m (Tottenham, September 2008)

Juan Mata – £37.1m (Chelsea, January 2014)

Angel di Maria – £59.7m (Real Madrid, August 2014)

Paul Pogba – £89.3m (Juventus, August 2016)

Fair play to Manchester United for accepting that their last two club-record signings were either immediately or eventually so catastrophic it would be foolish to try again. They have the longest-standing current Premier League transfer record.

Newcastle

Alan Shearer – £15m (Blackburn, July 1996)

Michael Owen – £16m (Real Madrid, August 2005)

Miguel Almiron – £20m (Atlanta United, January 2019)

Joelinton – £40m (Hoffenheim, July 2019)

Alexander Isak – £58m, rising to £63m (August 2022)

The bad news: Faustino Asprilla has finally been dislodged from this list. There is no good news. Apart from maybe apparent serendipitous Saudi interest in Almiron.

Nottingham Forest

Joao Carvalho – £13.2m (Benfica, June 2018)

Taiwo Awoniyi – £17.2m (Union Berlin, June 2022)

Emmanuel Dennis – £20m (Watford, August 2022)

Morgan Gibbs-White – £25m, rising to £42.5m (Wolves, August 2022)

Ibrahim Sangare – £30m (PSV, August 2023)

Another one difficult to accurately decipher without access to what are undoubtedly hilarious financial accounts, as while Elliot Anderson’s £35m fee obviously outstrips Sangare’s, both have either been eclipsed by Gibbs-White’s add-ons or probably will be soon enough.

Southampton

Sofiane Boufal – £16m (Lille, August 2016)

Mario Lemina – £18.1m (Juventus, August 2017)

Guido Carillo – £19m (Monaco, January 2018)

Danny Ings – £20m (Liverpool, July 2019)

Kamaldeen Sulemana – £22m, rising to £24.6m (Stade Rennais, January 2023)

The club famed for providing a conveyor belt of talent for Liverpool finally snapped their underwhelming transfer record streak by signing a player from them, if only to scrub very possibly the worst deal of all from this entire list: Carillo started seven games and did basically nothing before having his contract terminated a year before expiration. Sulemana has not been considerably better, mind.

Tottenham

Roberto Soldado – £26m (Valencia, August 2013)

Erik Lamela – £29m (Roma, August 2013)

Moussa Sissoko – £30m (Newcastle, September 2016)

Davinson Sanchez – £42m (Ajax, August 2017)

Tanguy Ndombele – £53.7m (Lyon, July 2019)

Again, Richarlison (£50m rising to £60m) is theoretically capable of usurping Ndombele, but that would make this collection only slightly less damning.

West Ham

Andre Ayew – £20.7m (Swansea, August 2016)

Marko Arnautovic – £25m (Stoke, August 2017)

Felipe Anderson – £36m (Lazio, July 2018)

Sebastien Haller – £45m (Eintracht Frankfurt, July 2019)

Lucas Paqueta – £51m (Lyon, August 2022)

One or both of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano probably belong here somewhere, but we’ve no idea of their actual fees. West Ham paid £20m in compensation to Sheffield United and £5.5m in Premier League fines over the third-party ownership fiasco with Tevez and that alone would qualify.

Wolves

Adama Traore – £18m (Middlesbrough, August 2018)

Raul Jimenez – £30m (Benfica, June 2019)

Fabio Silva – £35.6m (Porto, September 2020)

Matheus Nunes – £38m, rising to £42.2m (Sporting, August 2022)

Matheus Cunha – £44m (Atletico Madrid, July 2023)

Jorge Mendes is a sod.

Tottenham have completed the signing of Leeds midfielder Archie Gray in a player-plus-cash deal which sees Joe Rodon return to Elland Road.

Gray, 18, has attracted plenty of admirers after an impressive breakout season and Brentford had a bid in the region of £35million rejected on Sunday.

It opened the door for Tottenham to swoop for the England Under-21 international, who has signed a six-year deal with the Premier League club after they paid a fee between £25m and £30m to secure his services alongside the sweetener of former loanee Rodon going back to Leeds on a permanent basis.

Leeds’ failure to secure promotion via the Championship play-offs in May put pressure on them to make at least one lucrative sale in order to comply with financial fair play rules.

The versatile Gray flourished under Leeds boss Daniel Farke last season to become one of their most valuable assets, going on to make 52 appearances in all competitions at both right-back and in the centre of midfield after his league debut in August against Cardiff.

From a prestigious footballing family with his great-uncle Leeds stalwart Eddie Gray and dad Andy also previously playing for the Elland Road club, Archie won the Championship Young Player of the Year award and also starred during a run to the FA Cup fifth round.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365

👉 Liverpool ‘contact’ agents of Premier League star as Tottenham ‘look to activate’ £60m clause

👉 Tottenham keep or sell: Postecoglou to offload nine players this summer but keep Richarlison

👉 Tottenham transfer: Spurs will ‘push to buy’ £60m England star after Euro 2024; new Ramsey bid?

Chelsea registered an interest in the Leeds academy graduate alongside a host of other top-flight clubs, but Gray was convinced Tottenham was the best destination for him after talks with Ange Postecoglou and will get the chance to play Europa League football with the north London outfit.

Wales international Rodon has gone in the other direction, bringing to an end his four-year stay at Spurs.

Rodon signed from Swansea in 2020 but only played 24 times for Tottenham with his last outing for the club two years ago as a late substitute against Burnley towards the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

After spending the last two seasons on loan at Rennes and then Leeds, the 26-year-old has returned to the latter after signing a four-year deal.

Including two Jurgen Klopp favourites at Liverpool, here is a team of players who have officially become a free agent following the expiry of their contract at a Premier League club.

And here are the 20 best players in the world out of contract as of July 1.

GK: Marek Rodak

Wayne Hennessey or Marek Rodak? What a decision to have to make. The latter gets the nod as he is a whole decade younger than the Welshman.

We think Rodak can do a job in the Championship having proven himself in the second tier with Fulham, who harshly but rightly replaced him with Bernd Leno following their promotion in 2022.

RB: Japhet Tanganga

Ex-Tottenham full-back Tanganga won’t be a free agent much longer with Millwall hoping to sign him permanently after his loan spell in the second half of 2023/24 and Italian outfit Parma also keen.

He beats off mighty competition from Cedric Soares and Ryan Fredericks.

CB: Joel Matip

Matip is a player who gets into Jurgen Klopp’s greatest Liverpool XI, which incidentally only started together one time: the Champions League final victory over Tottenham in June 2019.

The Cameroonian centre-back is a big fan favourite at Anfield and might have been offered a one-year extension had he not suffered an ACL injury back in December. When fit, he will be a good signing for a team presumably in the top half of the Bundesliga, although he does stink of a move to one of Turkey’s big boys.

CB: Raphael Varane

Formerly one of the best centre-backs in world football, Varane’s reputation has taken a hit since leaving Real Madrid for Manchester United. That doesn’t take away from the fact he is a four-time Champions League winner, mind.

A return to RC Lens would be swell.

LB: Ryan Sessegnon

Sessegnon, like former Spurs pal Tanganga, shouldn’t be a free agent much longer, with Crystal Palace expected to sign him on a free.

He was supposed to be one of the most promising players in the country when he Broke Onto The Scene at Fulham but it has just not happened for him. At 24, there is time for Sessegnon to reach his potential; he just needs to get his next move right.

DM: Thiago

As much as we would have liked to include the smiley Mohamed Elneny, he is not on the same level as injury-prone Thiago, who Liverpool fans just know will go on to play 90% of his new club’s matches in 2024/25.

The Spanish playmaker is bloody brilliant on his day but we have not seen him ‘on his day’ for yonks.

CM: Andre Gomes

Like Sessegnon, Gomes was a player billed to become the next big thing but the Portuguese joined Barcelona and flopped massively, which naturally leads you to Goodison Park.

Now 30 years of age, Gomes is another player who is destined for the Turkish Super Lig.

CM: Tanguy Ndombele

Blimey, where do we begin? What a player Ndombele was for Lyon. Tottenham were right to pay a club-record fee for him after seeing him run the show against Manchester City in the Champions League.

The Frenchman showed some promise in his first season at the club but it was a shaky campaign overall. Given the benefit of the doubt having moved to a new country at a new age, Ndombele then became the unreliable, unfit disappointment that will be remembered by the Premier League.

Here’s hoping he can get his career back on track having had his Spurs contract terminated.

AM: Dele Alli

Another ex-Spurs star, Dele is a free agent having left Everton, who ended up paying their Premier League rivals diddly-squat as the player was unable to trigger any of his performance-based clauses.

Dele is working hard to get back to full fitness and is eyeing the World Cup with England in two years. Ambitious, we know, but we love it. Good luck to you, fella.

ST: Kelechi Iheanacho

Leicester paid over £20million for Iheanacho back in 2017 and in 232 appearances for the Foxes, he scored 61 and assisted 34. The Nigerian probably isn’t good enough for the Premier League but we can’t see him settling for another year in the Championship. If only there was a special division in the middle for him, Dwight Gayle and Anthony Knockaert.

ST: Anthony Martial

Expectations of Gomes and Sessegnon were minuscule in comparison to 2015 Golden Boy Anthony Martial, who leaves Manchester United having cost them a world-record fee for a teenager, signing a contract that comically included a Ballon d’Or clause.

United fans I know like Martial a lot, which is a bit odd from the outside looking in, but each to their own. He showed brilliance at times but nowhere near enough. Is he the ultimate Turkish Super Lig player or will he get a paycheck in Saudi Arabia, or even return to France? This is the only saga we care about.

Premier League club Tottenham are set to complete the signing of Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray for “around £40m”, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Championship Young Player of the Year was outstanding in 2023/24, playing 44 times in the second tier as the Whites reached the play-off final.

The 18-year-old played at right-back as well as in the centre of midfield to help Leeds finish third in the Championship.

Leeds are in a difficult financial situation and need to sell players this summer, with Gray one of the most likely to leave.

Crysencio Summerville is another who has been linked with an exit but there has been lots of talk of Gray exiting Elland Road over the last week.

MORE ON ARCHIE GRAY FROM F365

👉 Ten Championship stars tipped for Premier League transfers, including Bellingham and Leeds pair

👉 Leeds United stars reassigned before £150m fire sale as Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea land signings

Brentford were reportedly very close to signing the teenager before he ‘experienced a change of heart’ after undergoing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Leeds then rejected the Bees’ £35million bid, putting the final nail in the coffin.

Tottenham have since swooped in, with reports claiming an agreement between the two clubs was expected.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have reportedly been looking at Gray for a while now amidst interest from a host of clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.

‘Archie Gray to Tottenham, here we go!’

It looks like Spurs are set to get their man as transfer expert Romano has said “here we go” on the matter, the dirty boy.

Romano says the Londoners will pay “around £40m” to sign Gray with defender Joe Rodon expected to join Daniel Farke’s side for “around £10m”.

“Archie Gray to Tottenham, here we go!” he wrote on X. “Agreement in principle between all parties involved, waiting to sign docs.

“Spurs are set to pay fee around £40m, long term deal for Gray who’s accepted to join THFC.

“Joe Rodon to join LUFC in separate transaction around £10m.”

Leeds fans will be very happy to see Rodon join the club permanently after a stellar campaign on loan.

Rodon was one of the best defenders in the Championship last term and many Whites fans expected him to hold out for a move to a Premier League club.

The Welsh international played 50 of Leeds’ 54 matches across all competitions in 23/24 and leaves Spurs having made 15 Premier League appearances for them.

Tottenham are currently ‘working’ on a deal to sign Archie Gray from Leeds United after the highly-rated teenager’s move to Brentford fell through, according to reports.

Gray enjoyed a superb breakout season at Elland Road in 2023/24 and is expected to be on the move this summer following Leeds‘ failure to earn promotion back to the Premier League.

Daniel Farke’s side need to sell players and have already received fees for Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca, whose loan exits last year have now become permanent.

MORE ON ARCHIE GRAY FROM F365

👉 Ten Championship stars tipped for Premier League transfers, including Bellingham and Leeds pair

👉 Leeds United stars reassigned before £150m fire sale as Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea land signings

Gray will likely fetch a big fee and there have been reports over the weekend about a potential move to Brentford.

David Ornstein of The Athletic reported on Saturday that Gray had agreed personal terms with the Bees and was set to undergo a medical.

A £35million deal was expected to be finalised but it was reported on Sunday morning that Leeds had rejected that offer from the Premier League – the division above Leeds United – club. Leeds are in the Championship. That is the second tier of English football.

Tottenham swoop in for teenager after Brentford bid rejected by Leeds

With a move to Brentford now extremely unlikely, Ornstein has reported that Gray could be joining Tottenham instead. The boy is keen on London.

Ornstein says Ange Postecoglou’s side are currently ‘working on a move to sign’ the 18-year-old following Leeds’ rejection of the Bees’ £35m bid.

Both clubs ‘expect’ an agreement to be reached as ‘discussions continue’ with ‘nothing finalised’ at this moment in time.

It is revealed that Gray did undergo his Brentford medical on Saturday ‘after agreeing personal terms’, but the teenager ‘experienced a change of heart and is leaning towards joining Spurs if he departs Leeds’.

There are ‘a host of suitors from the Premier League and across Europe’ keen on signing Gray this summer, though Spurs ‘have been exploring the situation for months’, Ornstein adds.

Talks between the player and Spurs will take place on Sunday and personal terms are yet to be agreed.

Spurs’ interest is long-standing and it is added that they tried to sign Gray before he signed a professional contract at Elland Road when he was 17.