Six days into the first transfer window of the summer and the Mill is churning faster than a well-oiled machine. Leading the charge are Arsenal, whose Premier League sights have led them to add Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Feyenoord’s Igor Paixão to their shopping list of potential attacking targets. Getting Rogers would demand a significant fee – likely north of £50m – with the former Middlesbrough man pulling up trees for Unai Emery’s team this season, with 14 goals and 15 assists in 54 games. Paixão would be the cheaper option. The 24-year-old had an outstanding season in the Netherlands, scoring 16 and adding 14 assists in 34 league matches to be named Dutch footballer of the year.
Manchester United have joined the lengthy list of clubs eyeing Viktor Gyökeres of Sporting. The Swede is apparently open to a move to Old Trafford despite the club not playing Champions League football next season. Ruben Amorim is reportedly keen to link up with his former player and the pair have kept in touch since he moved to the Theatre of Dreams. Sporting want around £60m for Gyökeres, which is a £25m reduction from his original £85m release clause, thanks to a verbal pact he made after committing to staying for the 2024-25 campaign, where he scored 54 goals in 52 games and won the Primeira Liga title.
Chelsea have reportedly been offered a chance to sign Mohammed Kudus from their cross-town rivals. West Ham are apparently eyeing a swap deal for the forward with hopes of the goalkeeper Robert Sánchez making the switch to east London. Chelsea will make a decision on the offer before Enzo Maresca takes his squad to the United States next week for the Club World Cup.
Over in Germany, Bayer Leverkusen are supposedly monitoring Antony who has thrived at Real Betis after his loan move from Manchester United. The Brazilian arrived at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag’s leadership in 2022 for a fee exceeding £80m, only to provide a solid argument for why clubs should not spend £80m on a player who can only cut in on their left. But his stint in Spain has reignited interest, with the winger finding form and firing the Spanish side to the Conference League final. Leverkusen’s interest is, in part, is due to the growing uncertainty surrounding the future of Florian Wirtz. Liverpool have tabled a £105m offer and although Leverkusen are holding out for £125m, the German international is likely to be Arne Slot’s marquee signing of the summer. Should the deal go through, Leverkusen will need to act swiftly to fill the creative void Wirtz would leave behind.
Rayan Cherki of Lyon seemed to confirm his move to Manchester City is “getting done” after a cameo for France against Spain. The 21-year-old, who reportedly agreed personal terms with City the day before, hinted at the move shortly after Les Bleus’ 5-4 Nations League semi-final loss, where he came off the bench to score and bag an assist. He told reporters: “Yes … it’s getting done. But you already know my answer, everybody knows. But there’s still a game to play … After it will be done.”
Real Madrid have reportedly reached a final agreement over the signing of Álvaro Carreras from Benfica, agreeing to pay the full release clause. After prolonged negotiations, it seems the full-back is returning to the Spanish capital where he spent part of his youth career. Despite Madrid’s efforts to haggle, Benfica held firm on their €50m asking price. Carreras will become the third defensive reinforcement of the summer after Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and is expected to feature in their first group stage game of the Club World Cup against Al-Hilal.
