Introduction
This is a continuation of the earlier silly season post. I guess Lemmy doesn't let you edit posts older than a certain age.
Below is a list of transfer rumours for possible incoming transfers during the summer transfer window of 2024, along with some key pieces of information. 'Likelihood' is based on information at the time of last review, and brief reasoning is given for each rumour. But ultimately it's purely subjective.
Possibly out-bound players are limited to those who have seen some first team minutes. The line for exclusion for the list is fuzzy right now (Patino is on it Biereth is not). But it might get changed as we go along. Confirmed out includes all confirmed players, including Academy players who have been released.
The aim is for this list to be updated every couple of days. Information will be pulled from the daily discussion threads, along with other sources.
Transfer reliability sources list is available here.
If you hear about a rumour, please post a link and brief summary in the latest daily discussion thread!
Legend
Likelihood
Overall how likely a move to us seems.
Trend
The direction in which the likelihood seems to be heading with recent developments.
- πΌ = Move to us trending upwards
- π½ = Move to us trending downwards
- β = No change in trend
- π = New transfer rumour
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2024
Players In
Potential Ins List
Ordered by last name.
Yaser Asprilla
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Watford
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Asprilla did pretty well for Watford in the Championship last season. And at 20 years old and available for a comparatively affordable price, the Colombian could be seen as a relatively safe gamble for an understudy for Saka. However, this rumour flared up briefly and then went cold.
- Highest news source: 4
Dan Bentley
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Current club: Wolves
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) π½ - According to solid sources an attempt was made to bring our former Academy player back as a back-up for Raya. But the first offer was described by Wolves as being 'derisory'. But we just made a much higher offer. There's still a gap in price offered versus price expected, and the talk has gone a bit cold now.
- Highest news source: 2
Justin Bijlow
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Current club: Feyenoord
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Reliable sources indicate the player is interested. But rumours of us buying him have grown ever colder, while other PL clubs have ramped up their interest. Seems likely he'd only come in if we can find a buyer for Ramsdale, which doesn't look too likely.
- Highest news source: 3
Brian Brobbey
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Ajax
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Fresh rumour with not many good sources. The chatter is that we're competing with Man United for the young Dutch striker. This smacks hot air and/or agent hyping.
- Highest news source: 4
Federico Chiesa
- Positions: Left Wing
- Current club: Juventus
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - New chatter has us competing with the spuds for his signature. The sources aren't especially good right now, but Juventus is having a squad clear-out, so it's possible. But it seems like he will go elsewhere, probably because he doesn't fit our profile well enough.
Diogo Costa
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Current club: Porto
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - No, not the lunatic former Chelsea striker, but a different guy! Still lots of time on his current contract, but Porto need to sell some players. However, he wouldn't be cheap at around 70m, which is a lot for a back-up.
- Highest news source: 4
Fabricio Diaz
- Positions: Defensive Midfield
- Current Club: Al-Gharafa
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) π½ - The young Uruguayan would be fairly affordable, but the rumours on this one are very flimsy right now. It's possible, but we need better sources.
- Highest news source: 4
Patrick Dorgu
- Positions: Left Back
- Current club: Lecce
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - A new rumour links us with Dorgu. Though the fact that we are apparently close to completing a move for Calafiori makes this one seem like hot air. Maybe he's being looked at as a back-up in case the Calafiori deal fails. Or maybe it's just nonsense.
- Highest news source: 3
DΓ©sirΓ© DouΓ©
- Positions: Left Wing
- Current club: Rennes
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - We've been pulled into ongoing chatter about DouΓ©, though we arguably don't have a burning need for another left winger right now, with Martinelli and Trossard on our books. So this is probably just idle chatter, and he'll probably go to PSG, Bayern Munich, or Spurs instead.
- Highest news source: 4
Marcus Edwards
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Sporting CP
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - The former spuds academy graduate did well at CP last season, but at 25 he doesn't seem like an upgrade on our own Reiss Nelson. And sources for this rumour have not been especially reliable.
- Highest news source: 4
Eberechi Eze
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Crystal Palace
- Likelihood: Possible (4/10) π½ - A former academy player who we released early, Eze hasn't been shy about his enduring fondness for us. And he's coming of a fantastic season with Palace. Lots of chatter surrounding us on this one, but no solid sources. And time is running out.
- Highest news source: 4
Mikayil Faye
- Positions: Left Back, Centreback
- Current club: Barcelona
- Likelihood: Possible (3/10) β - Barcelona needs to sell this summer and might be tempted to part with the young defender. But rumours on this possible deal with us have gone cold.
- Highest news source: 4
Ezequiel Fernandez
- Positions: Defensive Midfield
- Current Club: Boca Juniors
- Likelihood: Possible (4/10) β - Boca's 21 year-old defensive midfielder is now being linked to us and several other clubs. He should be very affordable and is coming off a good season where he broke into Boca's first team. But news sources are very limited, so this seems more like idle gossip right now.
- Highest news source: 4
Youssouf Fofana
- Positions: Midfield
- Current club: Monaco
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Lots of clubs are supposedly interested in him, but right now the rumours involving us seem like pure hot air.
- Highest news source: 4
Conor Gallagher
- Positions: Midfield
- Current club: Chelsea
- Likelihood: Very Unlikely (1/10) π½ - Seemed like a ridiculous rumour and chatter has started to quieten down again on it. Mostly because he only had a year left on his contract, and Chelsea needs to raise some cash. He's now on the brink of joining Atletico Madrid.
- Highest news source: 3
Joan Garcia
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Current club: Espanyol
- Likelihood: Possible (5/10) πΌ - The young keeper has had a good season and is set to represent Spain at the Olympics. His lowish price tag (around 25m) and a previous connection to goalkeeping coach Cana is adding fuel to this fire. Chatter had gone cold, but Romano recently reignited it.
- Highest news source: 2
Lutsharel Geertruida
- Positions: Right Back, Centreback
- Current club: Feyenoord
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Yet another Feyenoord player being linked to us - this time a versatile defender. Rumours are that he wouldn't be too expensive (around 30m). But he seems more likely to go to Liverpool or another club. And our involvement in the rumours has grown cold.
- Highest news source: 4
Morgan Gibbs-White
- Positions: Attacking Midfield
- Current club: Nottingham Forest
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Arteta has appreciated Gibbs-White's abilities for a while. And the newest chatter is that we're contemplating a bid for the 24 year old. But sources are currently thin, and him coming in might disrupt the development of Nwanieri for little gain.
Santiago Gimenez
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Feyenoord
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - The young Mexican impressed at Feyenoord last season and has now entered the rumour mill as a possible target for us.
- Highest news source: 3
Joao Gomes
- Positions: Central Midfield
- Current club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Another Joao we are supposedly interested in. He wouldn't cost a fortune, but it still seems an unlikely purchase when we have the talented Nwaneri waiting in the wings.
- Highest news source: 4
Serge Gnabry
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Bayern Munich
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - It's actually surprising our former Academy graduate hasn't popped up as a potential incoming sooner. But realistically, he would cost too much in both transfer fees and salary costs.
- Highest news source: 3
Jack Grealish
- Positions: Left Wing
- Current club: Jack Grealish
- Likelihood: Very Unlikely (1/10) β - This rumour appeared recently, but seems very unlikely and credible sources are basically non-existent. Grealish probably isn't happy he's not getting more minutes. But he'd be very expensive, and between Martinelli and Trossard we are already well represented on the left wing.
- Highest news source: 4
Marc Guehi
- Positions: Centreback
- Current club: Crystal Palace
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Long been talk of him leaving Palace and moving to a bigger club, and of us being in the mix. But it seems like our name is being used to drum up bids from others, most notably Newcastle.
- Highest news source: 4
Arda Guler
- Positions: Attacking Midfield
- Current club: Real Madrid
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Has looked good in the Euros, so of course rumours linking him to us have begun. But his club letting him go at this point does not seem Realistic.
- Highest news source: 4
Bruno Guimaraes
- Positions: Defensive Midfield
- Current club: Newcastle
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Looked fairly likely a one point, but Newcastle's defensive midfielder is in hot demand, and seems likely to go to either Roma or Man City right now or just stay at Newcastle.
- Highest news source: 4
Viktor Gyokeres
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Sporting CP
- Likelihood: Possible (4/10) β - The ongoing, undulating rumour about us trying to sign Gyokeres is still lingering. We were scouting him, but that stalled, likely due to his price. His price is very high, which might be off-putting. It's still possible, but unless it comes as an 11th hour bombshell it isn't likely.
- Highest news source: 4
Quilindschy Hartman
- Positions: Left Back
- Current club: Feyenoord
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - This one has been a flash-in-the-pan in the rumour mill. And now we've signed Calafiori is looks very unlikely to happen.
- Highest news source: 3
Jorrel Hato
- Positions: Centreback
- Current club: Ajax
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Rumours indicate that Arteta was very keen on Hato. However, the player has said he plans on staying at Ajax next season.
- Highest news source: 4
Alexander Isak
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Newcastle
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - This rumour is now quietening down again. While Isak does look likely to leave Newcastle, his destination is likely somewhere like Chelsea, who are throwing around their silly money again.
- Highest news source: 2
Ferdi KadΔ±oΔlu
- Positions: Left Back
- Current club: Fenerbahce
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Momentum was building on this rumour, although Romano doesn't think there's much to it. Apparently the player is open to a move to us and we floated an initial bid. But Fenerbahce want more than we initially offered and we walked away.
- Highest news source: 2
Joshua Kimmich
- Positions: Right Back
- Current club: Bayern Munich
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Player's contract is ending and he's likely to leave Munich. But his wage demands and age are off-putting to us. Chatter about us going for Kimmich has gone cold, and the latest news is he might stay at Munich.
- Highest news source: 4
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
- Positions: Left Wing
- Current club: Napoli
- Likelihood: Very Unlikely (1/10) β - The young Georgian is being very tenuously linked to us. But for around 80 million that seems like nonsense. He's more likely to go to Liverpool. Or even more likely to stay put at Napoli, who are in the process of drawing up an improved contract to retain him.
- Highest news source: 4
Ademola Lookman
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Atalanta
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) π - The Nigerian striker is the latest player to be linked to us. There's talk of a 50m + Kiwior deal. But right now that looks like idle conjecture considering Kiwioris of interest to some other Italian clubs but not necessarily Atalanta.
- Highest news source: 4
Andriy Lunin
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Current club: Real Madrid
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Rumours we've made a bid for him, but sources are light and the player probably wouldn't want to play second fiddle to Raya with us.
- Highest news source: 4
Donyell Malen
- Positions: Right Back
- Current club: Borussia Dortmund
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Another of our former Academy graduates who's been linked to us. He still publicly loves us, but it's hard to see him coming back just to be Saka's understudy, especially for the pretty tidy sum that Dortmund would expect.
- Highest news source: 4
Mikel Merino
- Positions: Defensive Midfield
- Current club: Real Sociedad
- Likelihood: Very Likely (9/10) πΌ - The second of our excruciatingly long transfer sagas of the year is still going. Sociedad have apparently been preparing for his departure, while still holding out hope of retaining him. Our talks with him are ongoing? Maybe? Sounds like personal terms were agreed a couple of weeks ago. There was a gap in price expectations, but that seems to have been overcome. An announcement is thought to be imminent.
- Highest news source: 2
Murillo
- Positions: Centreback
- Current club: Nottingham Forest
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - He's now popped up on our transfers radar, in that we might be one of several clubs interested. But no word that we've even floated a bid. So it all seems like hot air.
- Highest news source: 4
Rodrigo Muniz
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Fulham
- Liklihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Not many solid sources and the rumours have gone cold recently.
- Highest news source: 4
Dani Olmo
- Positions: Attacking Midfield
- Current club: RB Leipzig (now Barcelona)
- Likelihood: Very Unlikely (1/10) β - The Spaniard was interested in moving on, and we were linked with him. But his price is on the higher end for a position we're not really recruiting for. He ended up signing for Barcelona, but is now in a weird situation where he can't officially register or play for them because they need to sell some players.
- Highest news source: 4
Victor Osimhen
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Napoli
- Likelihood: Possible (5/10) π½ - Who even knows with this rumour any more! The player wants to leave and Napoli wants to sell him, and his price recently went down quite a lot. But it's still high, and our interest is either hot or cold. It sounds like he's either a last resort or a decoy for us.
- Highest news source: 2
Adrien Rabiot
- Positions: Attacking Midfield
- Current club: Juventus
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Wouldn't be a transfer window without this one coming up again, would it! Unreliable sources are slapping our name as an outside party on him moving. Probably won't be happening for numerous reasons, but rumours are still fermenting.
- Highest news source: 4
Raphinha
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Barcelona
- Likelihood: Very Unlikely (1/10) π½ - New chatter has us attempting to get the Brazilian. But this is an old rumour, and apparently the player doesn't want to leave Barcelona.
- Highest news source: 4
Marcus Rashford
- Positions: Striker, Right Wing
- Current club: Manchester United
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Reliable sources indicate private talks have happened, but wages and attitude may be concerns. And newer rumours say he want to stay at Man United and fight for a place.
- Highest news source: 1
Fabian Ruiz
- Positions: Central Midfield
- Current club: Paris Saint-Germaine
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - PSG are apparently open to selling him, and we've been listed as a possible destination for him. But solid sources linking him specifically to us are scant right now. So this is likely just conjecture.
- Highest news source: 4
Sergi Roberto
- Positions: Defensive Midfield, Central Midfield
- Current club: Free agent (was with Barcelona)
- Likelihood: Possible (4/10) β - The versatile veteran midfielder was released by Barcelona this Summer and is now being linked to us, with the idea that his experience and leadership could help with our upcoming league campaign. But talk has died down recently.
- Highest news source: 4
Leroy SanΓ©
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Bayern Munich
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) πΌ - Apparently we are interested in signing him, though he's not at the top of our list. And he might not be interested in joining us.
- Highest news source: 4
Xavi Simons
- Positions: Attacking Midfield
- Current club: Paris Saint-Germaine
Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - We have been linked with the Dutch winger all Summer, but apparently it's now down to a contest between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig for his signature. Or maybe he'll just stay at PSG after all.
Wojciech Szczesny
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Current club: Juventus
- Likelihood: Possible (4/10) β - Another one of our Academy graduates, and another frequent name in successive transfer windows. Seems unlikely as he is still in his prime and wouldn't want to sit on the bench, but Juve are very keen to clear their books, so he might jump before he's pushed.
- Highest news source: 4
Ivan Toney
- Positions: Striker
- Current club: Brentford
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) π½ - There have been sporadic rumours about him joining us for ages. Fee has apparently been reduced since he's now in the final year of his contract, but Brentford have still not received any offers for him and Toney seems to be in a weird no man's land of not being in demand despite his obvious talent. The latest news is that Toney and Arteta met a few months ago, but Mikel wasn't impressed with his attitude, so any potential deal died at that point.
- Highest news source: 3
Viktor Tsygankov
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Girona
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - Not many resources to substantiate this yet. and the rumour has now gone very cold.
- Highest news source: 4
Baris Alper Yilmaz
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Galatasaray
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Flimsey third-hand sources claim we have an interest with the winger, along with Liverpool, Dortmund, and half the other clubs in the world. This sounds more and more like agent hyping.
Edon Zhegrova
- Positions: Right Wing
- Current club: Lille
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - The Kosovan winger is now being linked to us as a potential new arrival. Not much to go on right now, but his contract with Lille is good until 2026, so they would presumably demand a decent fee. This rumour seems more like idle conjecture at this point.
- Highest news source: 4
Removed Potential Ins List
- Riccardo Calafiori - Signed for us! See below for link
- Artem Dovbyk - Signed for Roma
- Serhou Guirassy - Signed for Borussia Dortmund
- Douglas Luiz - Signed for Juventus
- Kylian Mbappe - Signed for Real Madrid (but was never realistically going to join us)
- Pedro Neto - Joined the countless horde that is Chelsea's squad
- Joao Neves - Signed for Paris Saint-Germaine
- Amadou Onana - Signed for Aston Villa
- David Raya - Signed for us! See below for link
- Benjamin Sesko - Signed new contract with RB Leipzig
- Dominic Solanke - Signed for the spuds
- Jean-Clair Todibo - Signed for West Ham
- Nico Williams - Signed for Barcelona
- Joshua Zirkzee - Signed for Manchester United
- Martin Zubimendi - Player has explicitly stated he doesn't want to sign for us
Confirmed ins
Men's First Team:
- Riccardo Calafiori - Left-sided defender joins from Bologna.
- David Raya - Goalkeeper joins from Brentford United (after season-long loan with us in 2023/24).
Women's First Team:
Players Out
Potential Outs List
Ordered by last name.
Gabriel Jesus
- Positions: Striker
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Highly regarded by Arteta, and chances of leaving lessen the longer we don't sign a new striker. But he might be available for the right price.
Jakub Kiwior
- Positions: Left Back, Central Defence
- Likelihood: Likely (7/10) β - He's coveted by some Serie A teams. Hiis future has seemed closely tied to us bringing in Calafiori for a while now. Now we have Calafiori it looks likely Jakub will be heading out (probably to Italy). But no suitable offers have come in.
Reiss Nelson
- Positions: Right Wing
- Likelihood: Likely (8/10) β - Player really wants to leave us so he can play more first team football. But his price tag and/or salary seem a bit too much for potential suitors.
Eddie Nketiah
- Positions: Striker
- Likelihood: Likely (8/10) β - Widely expected to be moved on for the right price, and a deal with Marseille looked inevitable. But a our price expectation seems to high for them or for other interested clubs. So he still might stay with us, which apparently Eddie is okay with. The latest to show interest but have an offer rebuffed was Forest. However, that deal might not be dead yet.
Charlie Patino
- Positions: Midfield
- Likelihood: Very likely (9/10) β - Contract now only has 1 year left and player wants to move on, so it's highly likely we will look to sell him now, probably for a reduced amount. Some Italian clubs were interested in him due to his Italian heritage, but nothing materialized. It now looks likely he will go to Deportivo La Corona for a modest fee, but with Edu sewing a nice sell-on clause into a proposed deal.
Thomas Partey
- Positions: Defensive Midfield
- Likelihood: Possible (5/10) β - Wants to stay and might require a large fee, but has been hindered by injuries, has fallen down the pecking order. Seems to be coveted by Saudi clubs, but no deal is apparently close. And time is running out.
Aaron Ramsdale
- Positions: Goalkeeper
- Likelihood: Likely (7/10) πΌ - Displaced for starting keeper by Raya and too good to rot on the bench. But there are not many suitors due to his price and wages. Apparently various clubs are interested in him despite possible price tag and/or salary concerns. And Wolves are the latest to be contemplating making an offer.
William Saliba
- Positions: Centreback
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Real Madrid seem keen to sign him, but possibly not until next season when he's down to one year left on his contract. Hopefully Edu and Arteta can get Big Willy to sign a new contract and then they can tell Madrid to get lost!
Kieran Tierney
- Positions: Left Back
- Likelihood: Unlikely (3/10) β - Doesn't fit into Arteta's style of play but too good to sit on the bench. He looked to be going nowhere after his unfortunate Euro injury. But now there's talk that he's nearly fit enough to go out on loan, or possibly out on a permanent deal.
Fabio Vieira
- Positions: Right Wing, Attacking Midfield
- Likelihood: Very Unlikely (1/10) β - Hasn't been consistent enough to push on for a starting XI position, partly due to enduring injuries. There are rumours he is unhappy and could move back to Portugal, but no offers have come in. And apparently Arteta has plans for him this season. So it seems very likely he's staying for another season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
- Positions: Left Back
- Likelihood: Unlikely (2/10) β - If/when Calafiori arrives, our effervescent Ukrainian fullback will move further down the bench. So a sale seemed possible. However, no offers have come in, despite Kompany's Bayern Munich seeming interested. And he was just given a new squad number (17).
Removed Potential Outs List
- Karl Hein - Goalkeeper signed a new contract with us
Confirmed Outs
Ordered by last name.
Men's First Team (Permanent Departures):
- Mo Elneny - Contract expired, signed for Al-Jazira FC, and also founded Elneny FC
- Emile Smith Rowe - Signed for Fulham
- Cedric Soares - Contract expired
Mon's First Team (Loans):
- Karl Hein - Going out on loan to Real Valladolid
- Albert Sambi Lokonga - Now on a season-long loan with Sevilla, and unlikely to return
- Nuno Tavares - Now on a season-long loan with Lazio, and unlikely to return
Women's First Team (Permanent Departures):
- Sabrina D'Angelo - Contract expired, signed for Aston Villa
- Cloe Lacasse - Signed for Utah Royals
- Kaylan Marckese - Contract expired, signed for Tampa Bay Sun
- Vivianne Miedema - Contract expired, signed for Manchester City
- Gio Querioz - Signed for Atletico Madrid
Men's Academy (Permanent Departures):
- Mauro Bandeira - Released
- Omari Benjamin - Released, signed for Everton
- Mika Biereth - Sold to Sturm Graz for about 4m, with a sell-on clause
- Luis Brown - Contract expired, signed for West Ham
- Catalin Cirjan - Released, signed for Dinamo Bucharest
- Noah Cooper - Released
- Amario Cozier-Duberry - Rejected new contract, signed for Brighton
- Henry Davies - Released
- Ovie Ejeheri - Released, signed for Midtjylland
- Taylor Foran - Released, signed for Bromley
- Hubert Graczyk - Released
- James Hillson - Contract expired
- Henry Jeffcott - Released
- Tyreece John-Jules - Contract expired
- Alex Kirk - Released
- James Lannin-Sweet - Released
- Brooke Norton-Cuffy - Signed for Genoa for about 3.5m
- Arthur Okonkwo - Rejected new contract, signed for Wrexham
- Kamarni Ryan - Released
- Kido Taylor-Hart - Contract expired, signed for Bromley
- Reuell Walters - Rejected new contract, signed for Luton
Other Players Of Note
- Chido Obi-Martin - Despite our ongoing (and apparently very impressive) attempts to retain the prodigious 16 year old Academy striker, he decided to join the train wreck that is Manchester United.
- Lucas Nygaard - Our first Summer signing of 2024, he's joined our under-21s from FC Nordsjaelland. Won't be featuring in the first team for a season or two, but one for the future.
- Tommy Setford - The young English goalkeeper has joined our Academy from Ajax, but is frequently training with the first team. Another one for the future.
