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Liverpool and Man City stars in world class £343m XI available for FREE next summer

Liverpool and Man City stars in world class £343m XI available for FREE next summer

Daily Mirrora day ago
There's just under two weeks left of the current transfer market but some Premier League clubs could potentially be starting plans for next year with a host of stars available on free transfers
With the transfer window entering the final stretches, Premier League clubs have not been afraid to splash the cash. Champions Liverpool could potentially move take their summer spend beyond the £400m mark with a British-record swoop for Alexander Isak.

Their top-flight rivals have also spent heavily too, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United having all spent huge amounts. Given their vast outlays already, some teams may now be tempted to look for a few bargains before the window 'slams' shut.

A number of free agents such as Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof, Jamie Vardy and Kurt Zouma all remain without clubs. But the opportunity to land top talents without dipping into their summer budget, could be even more tantalising in 2026 with a host of top talents primed to be out of contract.

In fact, an XI of nearly £350m worth of talent are available for nothing in just 12 months' time according to Sportingpedia. And clubs only have to wait a few months to engage in talks with those players.
With that being said, take a look a look at some of the best players who could be on the move completely for free this time next year:
Starting in goal, we have a player who could actually be on the move over the final couple of weeks of the window. Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma - who is valued at £34.5m - has just one year remaining on his Paris Saint-Germain deal. But he has been told he can leave the club this summer amid interest from Manchester City.
Moving into defence, there are a few Premier League stars who could be on the move. Everton's Vitalii Mykolenko has just one year remaining on his contract, which would see the Toffees lose out on an estimated £24m.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi also has less than a year remaining on his deal. He is another who could move this summer amid interest from Liverpool. And they could get a bargain given his £38.8m valuation.

Ironically, Guehi could potentially replace another star in this XI. Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate - who is worth around £51m - is out of contract in a year's time and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
Dayot Upamecano - rated at £43m - could also join his compatriot in being on the move sooner rather than later. He has just a season remaining on his contract with current employers Bayern Munich. Real Madrid starlet Raúl Asencio claims the right side, with his value sitting at £34.5m.
The midfield is also stacked with plenty of talent. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong - who has constantly been linked with Manchester United - is valued at £38.8m but could be available for nothing very soon.

Meanwhile, Premier League duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Bernardo Silva could potentially be leaving Tottenham and Man City respectively on frees next summer. The pair hold a joint value of around £58.7m.

Moving to the frontline, Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic has less than a year on his contract in Turin. Given he was signed for £66m and is now valued at just £30.2m, that would represent a huge loss for the Italian giants.
Brentford forward Yoane Wissa is the final inclusion in the out-of-contract XI but he could also move on well before then. He is valued at £27.6m, albeit the Bees are demanding considerably more than that this summer amid interest from Newcastle as they attempt to find a replacement for Alexander Isak.
Out of contract XI: Donnarumma; Asencio, Guehi, Konate, Upamecano, Mykolenko; De Jong, Silva, Bentancur; Wissa, Vlahovic.
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Man Utd star warned he could 'suffer' under Amorim after £200m spending spree
Man Utd star warned he could 'suffer' under Amorim after £200m spending spree

Metro

time5 minutes ago

  • Metro

Man Utd star warned he could 'suffer' under Amorim after £200m spending spree

Rene Meulensteen fears one Manchester United player will suffer under Ruben Amorim this season as a result of the club's lavish summer spending. After a dismal Premier League season, which saw them finish 15th, United have embarked on their latest rebuild in the summer transfer window. The Red Devils made it a priority to refresh their attacking options and brought in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to provide them with Premier League-proven quality. On top of that, United edged out Newcastle for the signing of Benjamin Sesko, with the talented 22-year-old arriving to provide an immediate upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Those three deals, along with the signing of young defender Diego Leon, have brought United's summer spending to almost £200m and there were positive signs from their opening league fixture against Arsenal on Sunday. Metro's weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. But former Red Devils assistant manager Meulensteen fears that United's summer business may ultimately be to the detriment of captain Bruno Fernandes, who was one of few players to impress last season. The Portuguese international registered 18 goal contributions last season, but now looks likely to spend this season in a deeper role to make room for the slew of new attacking signings. 'If Ruben Amorim definitely decides to play Bruno Fernandes deeper, 100% his stats would suffer, I think you'd be taking a massive weapon away,' he told CoinPoker. 'Look at last season and look at what he produced as a captain for Manchester United in the worst season ever. If you would have taken him away, can you imagine what would have happened then? 'If you ask Fernandes and he will be all for it, the fact that Bryan Mbeumo has come in, Matheus Cunha has come in and Benjamin Sesko has come in. 'So they have strength, but Bruno is the one, Bruno is one of the guys that can link with Sesko and release him. He's got that vision and he's got that passing range to do that, but he likes to operate further up the pitch because he's got a great shot himself. 'He's got a great eye for goal and you don't want to take that away. How he plans to solve that puzzle is going to be an interesting one because if you do drop him deeper, you lose a little bit up front but also you lose a little bit of defensive strength in the middle of the park because that's not his strength. 'That would all depend on who's going to play next to him.' Amorim, meanwhile, hinted that Mason Mount could also be deployed in a more reserved role if United don't bring in another central midfielder before the close on the window. More Trending 'I want Bruno near the ball, so that is really important for our team, but last year, sometimes I felt like I need Bruno near the goal,' Amorim said. 'We have now players with different characteristics that can cope with that so we will try to arrange game-by-game the players in the best position.' On Mount he added: 'Maybe Mason Mount is a player that can play in that position if we want something different. 'But then we are going to find out during the season. But we have players to cope and win games in the Premier League.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Why Eberechi Eze isn't playing for Crystal Palace v Fredrikstad as Arsenal transfer looms MORE: Michael Owen suggests Man Utd's new £62.5m signing has an 'attitude' problem MORE: Tottenham make contact to sign £80m Chelsea target as Eberechi Eze alternative Your guide to the week in football. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk – sign up, it's an open goal.

Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?
Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?

Scottish Sun

time5 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED may have lost their opening game of the new Premier League season to title-chasing Arsenal. But there were flashes of brilliance from their new-look front three, which will be a significant upgrade for Ruben Amorim this season. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 16 It was not the opening result Ruben Amorim was hoping for, but there were positives Credit: AP Amorim's men looked more like a collective team than they did last season. United came into the match following a busy off-season, having revitalised their attacking options at a cost of a whopping £200MILLION. Two new attackers, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, started the match, while new star striker Benjamin Sesko was on the bench - although he did feature in the final 30 minutes. At the start of the game, it seemed that Cunha would be playing as the central striker, with Mason Mount and Mbeumo playing as the narrow attacking No. 10s behind him. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL SESK APPEAL Inside Benjamin Sesko's life including glam older Wag & controversial car The positioning and role of Cunha, however, was more versatile than that – until the introduction of Sesko in the second half. The game was just a taste of what United's three new attacking players can bring over the coming weeks and months. So with that in mind, SunSport's Tactics Exposed team is on hand to take an in-depth look at each of United's new attacking options and break down what fans can expect to see from them this season. Bryan Mbeumo When United secured the signing of Mbeumo from Brentford for a £71m fee, it was off the back of a strong season in which he finished with 20 goals and nine assists in all competitions. He appears to ideally suit the 3-4-2-1 system that is favoured by United's Portuguese head coach Amorim. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 16 16 It is likely – and this was supported against Arsenal – that Mbeumo will start for United as the right-sided No.10 behind the main striker. From this position on the right, one of the biggest threats from Mbeumo comes from his off-the-ball movement. During his time at Brentford, he looked to make attacking runs in the channel, starting from deeper positions. Mbeumo can then accelerate to attack the space between the opposition's fullback and central defenders. Against Arsenal, we saw early signs of these runs and the danger that they'll bring. Glamorous Man Utd fan rocks up at Old Trafford in nothing but bodypaint but is 'not allowed into Arsenal game' 16 Bryan Mbeumo showed promising signs against Arsenal Credit: Getty 16 Mbeumo catches the Arsenal defence on their heels as he makes the run to receive Mount's pass Here, we see the kind of movement that we can expect this season from Mbeumo. As Cunha and Mount work to collect a loose ball, Mbeumo starts a run to attack the space through the channel The positioning and movement of Mbeumo throughout this match were interesting. He showed a clear tendency in the build-up phase, and when the ball came into the middle third, to come out wide to receive and support the attack. Mbeumo dropped back to goal to receive the ball and showed his touch and technical ability when receiving and linking up with teammates behind him. Also, he looked comfortable when getting the ball on the turn and looking to attack forward with aggression. As the play progressed into the middle third he narrowed off as he likes to play closer to the area and to goal. This was supported by the longer overlapping runs from Diogo Dalot from the right wingback position, and then the higher attacking positions from Amad Diallo when he came into that role. Mbeumo was difficult to play against for the opposition defenders as he varied his approach. At points, he released the ball to play in the wingback when he moved from deep to support. And at other points, he took the ball and drove inside towards the area. In this example, Mbeumo is in possession of the ball as United are on the attack. 16 Mbeumo creates confusion as he could go either way, with Dalot adding the option with a run on the outside The defender is isolated and cannot commit as he does not know which way Mbeumo will go. This time, he uses the overlap and plays the ball for Dalot to carry forward. The movement and attacking intelligence that Mbeumo showed throughout the match against Arsenal should excite United fans. Matheus Cunha United moved very quickly at the end of last season to trigger the release clause of the Brazil star Cunha to take him from Wolves for £62.5m. Similar to Mbeumo, United made the move for Cunha on the back of a strong season in which he scored 17 goals and had six assists. 16 16 While we think as the season goes on that Cunha will end up playing as the left-sided No.10 behind the main striker, he actually started against Arsenal as the main striker. Cunha was, however, still very versatile with his attacking positioning and movement as he moved and dropped deep to get on the ball. He would then either turn and driving in possession of the ball or link the play with teammates and move into advanced areas with his off the ball movement. Cunha consistently got into positions in which he could take the ball and then look to hurt the Arsenal backline. 16 Matheus Cunha was signed from Wolves for £62.5m Credit: Getty 16 Here, Cunha drops deep to act as a playmaker with seven United players more advanced up the pitch There were moments when Cunha dropped very deep, even as the central striker, and was deeper in the United half to help progress the ball. We see an example of this here as Cunha has dropped very deep and taken possession before turning and driving forward. It was interesting to see how effective Cunha was in the final third in terms of giving United a platform to attack from. He played as the main striker until the final 30 minutes, when Sesko was introduced for Mount, before dropping back to play as the 10. During the match, however, he completed all 11 passes that he attempted in the final third as he linked the play. He was consistently willing to take possession of the ball under pressure in advanced areas and to link the play with teammates moving to support the play. The Brazilian is also a threat in these situations, however, to take the ball on the turn and drive to goal in order to get a shot away. 16 Matheus Cunha is happy taking the ball in tight situations, with his back to goal Here, Cunha takes possession of the ball from a short forward pass from Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. He holds off the pressure from the defender and plays the ball back into the path of Bruno as he moves forward to attack the edge of the area. The positional versatility that we see from Cunha combined with his ability on the ball to combine with teammates and drive through space in the final third will help United to break down opposition teams. Benjamin Sesko The final new attacking player is Slovenian international striker Sesko, who was recruited from RB Leipzig for £74m. While he was not quite ready to start the first game of the season, we did see him come off the bench for the final 30 minutes. 16 16 And in that time, we saw what the striker will bring to the squad. Sesko likes to run at defences. He is far less effective when playing back to goal and receiving into his feet. This means he provides a very different option to Cunha as the No.9 in this game. The willingness of Sesko to make these runs and stretch the game provides a threat, but it also creates space underneath that the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo could take advantage of. 16 Benjamin Sesko made his debut against Arsenal Credit: Getty 16 Sesko has a knack of timing his runs perfectly to receive the ball from the defence As United are in possession in their own half with the man in possession under no pressure, Sesko times his run to break beyond the last line and allow the ball to be played over the top and into space. Sesko is a very physical and is 6' 5' tall, with the ability to routinely threaten space for his team. His off-the-ball movement is similar to that of Rasmus Hojlund, who is still in the United squad. But Sesko should provide more consistent threat through his ball striking and ability to maintain that pace when in possession of the ball. 16 Sesko makes clever runs, this time making a diagonal burst to free up space for Cunha Here, we see a clear example of Sesko making a diagonal run to force the opposition defensive line backwards and create space for teammates underneath. Cunha has taken possession of the ball and turned his man before driving towards the opposition half. As Sesko makes a darting diagonal run the entire defensive line for Arsenal is pushed backwards. A striker like Sesko, when compared to the profiles and positional tendencies of the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo, will create a lot of threat across the season for United. Man Utd's transfer deals IN Bryan Mbeumo - from Brentford - £71m Matheus Cunha - from Wolves - £62.5m Diego Leon - from Cerro Porteno - £7m Benjamin Sesko - from RB Leipzig - £74m TOTAL - £214.5m OUT Victor Lindelof - released Christian Eriksen - released TOTAL - £0m MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE Conclusion We have gone through the three new attacking players for United and not even mentioned their best attacking threat from last season in Bruno Fernandes. The United captain will likely find himself moving deeper to play a more deep midfielder as opposed to one of the No10's. But his passing ability and aggressive nature from this role will be very strong for United. As the season progresses we are likely to see Sesko established as the main striker with Cunha and Mbeumo as the No.10's behind him. This will be the strongest attacking setup for Amorin and his United squad and a vast improvement on last season's attacking options.

Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?
Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?

The Sun

time6 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?

MANCHESTER UNITED may have lost their opening game of the new Premier League season to title-chasing Arsenal. But there were flashes of brilliance from their new-look front three, which will be a significant upgrade for Ruben Amorim this season. Amorim's men looked more like a collective team than they did last season. United came into the match following a busy off-season, having revitalised their attacking options at a cost of a whopping £200MILLION. Two new attackers, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, started the match, while new star striker Benjamin Sesko was on the bench - although he did feature in the final 30 minutes. At the start of the game, it seemed that Cunha would be playing as the central striker, with Mason Mount and Mbeumo playing as the narrow attacking No. 10s behind him. The positioning and role of Cunha, however, was more versatile than that – until the introduction of Sesko in the second half. The game was just a taste of what United's three new attacking players can bring over the coming weeks and months. So with that in mind, SunSport's Tactics Exposed team is on hand to take an in-depth look at each of United's new attacking options and break down what fans can expect to see from them this season. Bryan Mbeumo When United secured the signing of Mbeumo from Brentford for a £71m fee, it was off the back of a strong season in which he finished with 20 goals and nine assists in all competitions. He appears to ideally suit the 3-4-2-1 system that is favoured by United's Portuguese head coach Amorim. 16 16 It is likely – and this was supported against Arsenal – that Mbeumo will start for United as the right-sided No.10 behind the main striker. From this position on the right, one of the biggest threats from Mbeumo comes from his off-the-ball movement. During his time at Brentford, he looked to make attacking runs in the channel, starting from deeper positions. Mbeumo can then accelerate to attack the space between the opposition's fullback and central defenders. Against Arsenal, we saw early signs of these runs and the danger that they'll bring. Glamorous Man Utd fan rocks up at Old Trafford in nothing but bodypaint but is 'not allowed into Arsenal game' 16 16 Here, we see the kind of movement that we can expect this season from Mbeumo. As Cunha and Mount work to collect a loose ball, Mbeumo starts a run to attack the space through the channel The positioning and movement of Mbeumo throughout this match were interesting. He showed a clear tendency in the build-up phase, and when the ball came into the middle third, to come out wide to receive and support the attack. Mbeumo dropped back to goal to receive the ball and showed his touch and technical ability when receiving and linking up with teammates behind him. Also, he looked comfortable when getting the ball on the turn and looking to attack forward with aggression. As the play progressed into the middle third he narrowed off as he likes to play closer to the area and to goal. This was supported by the longer overlapping runs from Diogo Dalot from the right wingback position, and then the higher attacking positions from Amad Diallo when he came into that role. Mbeumo was difficult to play against for the opposition defenders as he varied his approach. At points, he released the ball to play in the wingback when he moved from deep to support. And at other points, he took the ball and drove inside towards the area. In this example, Mbeumo is in possession of the ball as United are on the attack. 16 The defender is isolated and cannot commit as he does not know which way Mbeumo will go. This time, he uses the overlap and plays the ball for Dalot to carry forward. The movement and attacking intelligence that Mbeumo showed throughout the match against Arsenal should excite United fans. Matheus Cunha United moved very quickly at the end of last season to trigger the release clause of the Brazil star Cunha to take him from Wolves for £62.5m. Similar to Mbeumo, United made the move for Cunha on the back of a strong season in which he scored 17 goals and had six assists. 16 16 While we think as the season goes on that Cunha will end up playing as the left-sided No.10 behind the main striker, he actually started against Arsenal as the main striker. Cunha was, however, still very versatile with his attacking positioning and movement as he moved and dropped deep to get on the ball. He would then either turn and driving in possession of the ball or link the play with teammates and move into advanced areas with his off the ball movement. Cunha consistently got into positions in which he could take the ball and then look to hurt the Arsenal backline. 16 16 There were moments when Cunha dropped very deep, even as the central striker, and was deeper in the United half to help progress the ball. We see an example of this here as Cunha has dropped very deep and taken possession before turning and driving forward. It was interesting to see how effective Cunha was in the final third in terms of giving United a platform to attack from. He played as the main striker until the final 30 minutes, when Sesko was introduced for Mount, before dropping back to play as the 10. During the match, however, he completed all 11 passes that he attempted in the final third as he linked the play. He was consistently willing to take possession of the ball under pressure in advanced areas and to link the play with teammates moving to support the play. The Brazilian is also a threat in these situations, however, to take the ball on the turn and drive to goal in order to get a shot away. 16 Here, Cunha takes possession of the ball from a short forward pass from Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. He holds off the pressure from the defender and plays the ball back into the path of Bruno as he moves forward to attack the edge of the area. The positional versatility that we see from Cunha combined with his ability on the ball to combine with teammates and drive through space in the final third will help United to break down opposition teams. Benjamin Sesko The final new attacking player is Slovenian international striker Sesko, who was recruited from RB Leipzig for £74m. While he was not quite ready to start the first game of the season, we did see him come off the bench for the final 30 minutes. And in that time, we saw what the striker will bring to the squad. Sesko likes to run at defences. He is far less effective when playing back to goal and receiving into his feet. This means he provides a very different option to Cunha as the No.9 in this game. The willingness of Sesko to make these runs and stretch the game provides a threat, but it also creates space underneath that the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo could take advantage of. 16 16 As United are in possession in their own half with the man in possession under no pressure, Sesko times his run to break beyond the last line and allow the ball to be played over the top and into space. Sesko is a very physical and is 6' 5' tall, with the ability to routinely threaten space for his team. His off-the-ball movement is similar to that of Rasmus Hojlund, who is still in the United squad. But Sesko should provide more consistent threat through his ball striking and ability to maintain that pace when in possession of the ball. 16 Here, we see a clear example of Sesko making a diagonal run to force the opposition defensive line backwards and create space for teammates underneath. Cunha has taken possession of the ball and turned his man before driving towards the opposition half. As Sesko makes a darting diagonal run the entire defensive line for Arsenal is pushed backwards. A striker like Sesko, when compared to the profiles and positional tendencies of the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo, will create a lot of threat across the season for United. Conclusion We have gone through the three new attacking players for United and not even mentioned their best attacking threat from last season in Bruno Fernandes. The United captain will likely find himself moving deeper to play a more deep midfielder as opposed to one of the No10's. But his passing ability and aggressive nature from this role will be very strong for United. As the season progresses we are likely to see Sesko established as the main striker with Cunha and Mbeumo as the No.10's behind him.

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