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The Premier League window will slam shut at 7pm on September 1st, just 10 days from now in what has been a thrilling summer window until today. Despite time running short on the window for teams to complete remaining business, with players like Alexander Isak, Eberechi Eze and Yoane Wissa heavily speculated to leave their current clubs, spending is expected to surpass a record £2.5 billion before the illusive deadline.
While some pieces of business may seem predictable after some long drawn-out sagas (especially with the players mentioned above), wildcard moves that raise eyebrows and surprise the masses can sometimes be some of the most interesting, wether they come from out the blue or are deemed “panic buys”. Players like Wayne Rooney, Mesut Özil, Claude Makélélé all made their moves on deadline day and went on to carve out wonderful careers at their respective sides, particularly with the last two of those three as they were unknown quantities in England.
With the deadline fast approaching, there are so many big players that could depart from their current clubs before the end of the window. Here are five that could move to pastures new before the summer spending is concluded.
5. Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
Talented English midfielder Harvey Elliott has spent six years at Liverpool, his boyhood club despite initially joining from Fulham in 2019. Technical, hard-working and a fantastic ball-striker, Elliott offers a lot in the final third and would be a great asset for most Premier League sides. Despite so much raw talent, the Surrey-born lad has began to fall down the pecking order in recent seasons, after the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai and most recently Florian Wirtz.
Jürgen Klopp initially tried Elliott as a right-winger to offer cover for Mohamed Salah, but recent seasons show he’s an unnatural fit for the position due to his lack of pace and agility that may have been lost after an unfortunate ankle dislocation injury in 2021. Since then, Elliott has established himself as an exciting advanced midfielder, doing his best work in the number 10 position at the crown of a midfield three who joins midfield to attack and kick-starts moves from start to finish.
Elliott charted just 371 league minutes last season, starting only two games as Liverpool were crowned champions. Recent links to the likes of RB Leizpig and Brighton have began to heat up coming into the final stages of the window, with the former seeking a potential replacement for Dutch attacker Xavi Simons, who looks likely to join Chelsea in the coming days. Both sides operate with advanced midfielders, allowing the 22-year-old to slot into either system seamlessly should they pursue his signature.
Though Arne Slot’s side would demand a high fee given his vast experience, quality and age, anything below £60m would be a bargain for the Englishman who may have to look for a future away from Anfield for the best of his career. Liverpool fans would be sad to see one of their own depart the club, but for the right price and destination it seems an exit would be best for everyone this summer.
4. Savinho (Manchester City)
Brazilian winger Savinho joined Manchester City from fellow City group member ESTAC Troyes last summer for just over £30m, after the former Atlético Minero attacker spent a season at another member of the City group, Girona, in their highly successful 2023/24 campaign that saw them finish 3rd in La Liga. With three goals and 11 assists in 40 starts (56 games all together), it was a fine debut season for Savinho as he adapted to Pep Guardiola’s intense brand of football.
However, surprise interest from Tottenham Hotspur has emerged in recent weeks as the club looks to further boost their attacking options after the signings of Mohamed Kudus. What’s even more surprising is that City are keen to play ball over the move, with reports suggesting that selling Savinho for the right price could allow a late push to sign Savinho’s compatriot Rodrygo from Real Madrid, who doesn’t seem to be in Xabi Alonso’s plans for the foreseeable future.
Savinho would take some moulding to adapt to Thomas Frank’s ideas of the ideal winger in his system, as his brand of football relies on wingers with sharp decision making in the final third and needs them to be comfortable in front of goal, like he had with the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa (before he was used more as a false nine) and Saïd Benrahma during his time at Brentford.
The 21-year-old has plenty of time to add this to game though, which already effectively incorporates that traditional Brazilian flair with a high degree of creativity that saw him become one of Pep Guardiola’s first choice wingers last season. If Tottenham could get this over the line, though it might mean their rivals Manchester City land one of the best wingers in Europe in Rodrygo, their acquisition of Savinho would be greatly admirable and a fine addition to the squad ahead of a busy 2025/26 campaign.
3. Ederson Moraes (Manchester City)
Joining Manchester City as a complete unknown to most fans in 2017, Ederson quickly made the role as Pep Guardiola’s number one his own, replacing veteran ‘keeper Claudio Bravo who joined and failed to nail down the position as his own after joining from Barcelona in 2016. Eight seasons later, six of which he became a Premier League champion in, it seems the curtain is falling on Ederson’s Manchester City career as the Citizens begin to rejuvenate the squad and look towards the future.
After being the key figure in Burnley’s defence that kept a record-breaking 29 clean sheets last season, James Trafford was snapped up from the newly promoted side for £31 million to seemingly come in and be the new man between the sticks at the Etihad. Though confusing rumours around Gianluigi Donnarumma continue to circulate, it seems as if Ederson has already lost his position, with Trafford starting their first game of the season against Wolves last weekend.
Though some reports suggest the club are more open to moving on German stopper Stefan Ortega, the Brazilian goalie continues to be linked to Galatasaray and Saudi Arabian sides, and such sides can still be encouraged by no attempts being made to renew his current contract, which expires next summer.
Donnarumma’s move is yet to be decided from a sense point of view and a financial one, but what does remain concrete is that Ederson won’t be Manchester City’s first choice anymore and if he wishes to be in with a shout of donning the number one for Brazil next summer at the World Cup, a move away to show his quality- which he still has plenty of despite a down season last year- would be best to ensure he’s on the plane to the biggest tournament in the world in 2026.
2. Nicholas Jackson (Chelsea)
Last season saw Nicholas Jackson take some significant steps in his development, contributing 19 goals and assists to a successful debut season for Enzo Maresca at Chelsea that saw them win the Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Despite the positive steps Jackson took in his overall game, Chelsea weren’t afraid to leave the Senegalese forward behind in their ranks, signing Joao Pedro and Liam Delap to make him the third choice striker ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Jackson remains unpolished with lots still to work on, but at just 24 years old there’s still plenty of time in his career to work on such imperfections. Aston Villa seem the the most keen to help him do so as a first choice regular, with Unai Emery reportedly pushing for a reunion with his former frontman who he spent multiple seasons with at Villareal.
Villa have failed to sufficiently replace Jhon Duran this window after his departure in Janaury for Al Nassr (who he’s since left for Fenerbahçe), so bringing Jackson in even if it was on a loan basis would provide some apt depth and competition for Ollie Watkins’s currently unchallenged role as the leading striker. Loan deals are something the Villains are more than happy to play ball over, with the additions of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio helping them to the Champions League quarter-finals and a 6th place finish last campaign.
Rolling the dice on a late move for Jackson would take what’s been an okay window (hindered by PSR rules) to a good one by adding some proven goals to their attack, in what could be a season of great things for the West Midlands outfit as they enter the Europa League for the first time since 2011. Given Emery’s history in such a tournament, which he’s won four times including a three-peat with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, his side will enter the tournament as one of the favourites and adding Jackson will only solidify that claim.
1 . Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)
Manchester United’s big money experiment on Jadon Sancho has been a renowned failure, burdened by fall outs with Erik Ten Hag, failures to adjust to the Premier League and failed loan stints at the likes of Borussia Dortmund and most recently Chelsea. Despite a managerial change since his last stint at Old Trafford, with Ruben Amorim coming to the club last November, it seems there is still no place in his side for Sancho who looks certain for a move away in the coming days.
During his first spell at German side Borussia Dortmund, whom he joined when he was just 17 and left at the age of 21, Sancho was a handful for defenders and had Die Borussen leaping off their seats every time he got on the ball. His tricky footwork, creativity and explosiveness in the final third earned him a long awaited move back to English shores, putting pen to paper at Manchester United in Summer 2021. It was a downhill spiral from here though for Sancho, with a turbulent first season that saw him bag just three goals and three assists in 29 Premier League games, 20 of which he started.
A flat 2022/23 campaign- though he bettered his first return with nine goals and assists- meant it was the final straw for his relationship with Ten Hag, which publicly exploded during a time of chaos at the club. A middling return to Dortmund wasn’t enough to prompt a rekindling between himself and ETH, meaning he was shipped to Chelsea last season, where he failed to make himself a first team regular though he played an important role in their Europa Conference League run, which was marked by a goal in the final.
Recent links bill him for a move to Turkey, after he recently rejected a £20 million move to AS Roma. Sky Germany also report that Bayern Munich are keen on the winger, which would be a certainly exciting move for the Englishman despite his Dortmund roots. The 25-year-old needs to pick his next destination wisely as another year of mediocracy may see his career take a steep decline, with certainly no spot for him in the World Cup squad in 2026 which would be very damning for his international career after missing out on a EURO 2024 place.
