Five names to watch in the Premier League transfer window
LONDON - Premier League clubs are already busy strengthening their squads for the 2025/26 season with an early transfer frenzy sparked by the upcoming Club World Cup.
AFP Sports looks at five names to watch as the transfer window kicks into gear.
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Liverpool have shown no sign of resting on their laurels as English champions.
After a quiet first year for Arne Slot in the transfer market, the Reds have moved quickly to back the Dutchman heavily this summer.
The darling of German football, Wirtz looks set to smash the Premier League transfer record should he get his wish of a dream move to Anfield.
Liverpool have reportedly had a bid worth up to £109 million ($147 million) rebuffed as Leverkusen hold out for a £125 million fee.
That would break the record set by Chelsea's £115 million capture of Moises Caicedo from under Liverpool's noses two years ago.
Wirtz was instrumental in Leverkusen's stunning German league and cup double in the 2023/24 season, plus a run to the Europa League final under Xabi Alonso.
The two clubs have already agreed one deal as Jeremie Frimpong has joined Liverpool as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
AFP | Oli SCARFF
Fresh from the club's worst season since they were relegated 51 years ago, losing their inspirational captain would appear to be the worst possible news for United.
However, selling Fernandes to Saudi side Al Hilal could provide much-needed funds for Ruben Amorim to rebuild a squad in his image at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils could land £100 million for the 30-year-old, who would become one of the world's highest-paid players should be move to the Gulf.
"If the club thinks it's time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it is what it is and football sometimes is like this," said Fernandes after United lost the Europa League final to Tottenham last month.
Fernandes would leave enormous shoes to fill for a side already lacking in creativity and a goal threat.
Despite a miserable campaign collectively, only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah provided more goal contributions last season among Premier League players in all competitions than Fernandes' 19 goals and 19 assists.
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Mbeumo is one of United's key targets to end their woes in front of goal.
The French-born Cameroon international enjoyed a stellar season with Brentford, scoring 20 times.
Mbeumo revelled in becoming the Bees' star man since the departure of Ivan Toney and his partnership with Yoane Wissa carried Thomas Frank's men to an impressive top half finish.
Despite interest from Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham, Mbeumo's preferred destination is reportedly Old Trafford if United can reach an agreement with Brentford.
United have already added Matheus Cunha to bolster a misfiring forward line.
A remarkable 54-goal season for Sporting has made the Swede a target for a series of clubs seeking more firepower.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with bringing Gyokeres back to England as Mikel Arteta seeks a clinical finisher to end the Gunners' five-year trophy drought.
The 26-year-old has a 100 million euro (£84 million) buyout clause in his Sporting contract, but it is expected the Portuguese champions would settle for around 70 million euros.
Despite six goals in eight Champions League games, there are doubts over Gyokeres' ability to transfer his prolific form in Portugal to the Premier League.
He joined Sporting just two years ago from English second-tier side Coventry after failing to make the grade at Brighton.
Arsenal also have a long-standing interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, while Newcastle's Alexander Isak appears an unattainable target after the Magpies qualified for the Champions League.
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
AFP | Adrian Dennis
Eze will forever be a Palace legend after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City to deliver the Eagles' first ever major trophy.
The England international's eye for goal and a defence-splitting pass has seen him targeted by a plethora of the Premier League's best.
City eye the 26-year-old as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, while Arsenal and Tottenham are also interested and could easily trigger his £68 million release clause.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupé lands in South Africa
The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupé is now officially available in South Africa. Recently seen flexing its muscle at the 2025 Simola Hillclimb in Knysna — where it claimed class honours in the road and supercar category — this German bahn-stormer is driven by a 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine producing 450kW and 850Nm, paired with a 150kW/320Nm electric motor. Combined, the powertrain delivers a staggering 600kW and 1,420Nm of torque. This is sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed AMG Speedshift MCT transmission and fully variable AMG Performance 4Matic+ system. Mercedes-AMG claims a 0—100km/h sprint time of just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 320km/h. On the more sensible end of the spectrum, the GT 63 S E Performance also offers an electric-only range of up to 13km, thanks to its F1-derived 400V, 6.1kWh battery. Connected to a 3.7kW onboard charger, it can be recharged using a household socket, wall box or public charging station. Adding more clever tech into the mix is the AMG Dynamic Select system, offering eight driving modes: Electric, Battery Hold, Comfort, Slippery, Sport, Sport+, Race and Individual. These can be selected via the AMG button and central display on the centre console or through the AMG steering wheel controls. Each mode tweaks the behaviour of the powertrain, gearbox, steering, damping, and exhaust note. Drivers can also toggle between four levels of energy recuperation — one of which allows for near 'one-pedal' driving. Other performance-focused features include active aerodynamic aids, such as a deployable rear spoiler and a concealed underbody flap that improve downforce at speed. AMG Active Ride Control with semiactive roll stabilisation and rear-axle steering further boost agility and stability across various driving conditions. Braking duties are handled by a ceramic high-performance composite system: six-piston fixed calipers and 420mm rotors up front, and single-piston floating calipers with 380mm discs at the rear. Wrapping these are 20" AMG 10-spoke alloy wheels fitted with high-performance tyres (295/35 front and 305/35 rear), with forged 21" wheels available as an option. Inside, the GT 63 S E Performance is as luxurious as it is potent. Standard features include a fully digital instrument cluster, an 11.9" portrait-orientated touchscreen running the latest MBUX infotainment system, and exclusive AMG Performance and Track Pace apps for telemetry and lap-time logging. Occupants are treated to Nappa leather sports seats, carbon-fibre interior trim, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an ergonomic AMG Performance multifunction steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, and active steering and lane-keeping assist. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupé is priced from R4,369,287, which includes a standard five-year/100,000km service and maintenance plan.
3 hours ago
Jose Riveiro takes firm Orlando Pirates transfer decision
Many Orlando Pirates fans are feeling restless amid talk of Jose Riveiro targeting some of his former players. The Spanish tactician left the club after three glorious years at the helm of the Soweto giants. Riveiro took up arguably the biggest job on the continent in the form of leading Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Many Orlando Pirates players have already been linked with moves up North to join Riveiro. The Spanish tactician however has addressed the speculation directly and offered a firm response that may surprise some fans. READ MORE • Orlando Pirates sign Soweto-born star as Timm replacement! READ MORE • PSL side working on signing Kaizer Chiefs fan-favourite! Jose Riveiro has set the record straight regarding whether he'll try to lure some of his former players to Al Ahly! 'I have not requested the inclusion of any player from Orlando Pirates to Al Ahly out of respect for them, as I respect the club,' Riveiro told Al Ahly TV as quoted by Citizen . 'At the moment, I do not want to rush into looking for new deals. I am focusing on preparing for the Club World Cup, after which we will accurately determine our needs.' First up for Jose Riveiro is the FIFA Club World Cup which gets underway on 15 June. The former Orlando Pirates coach will meet Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in the opening match of the tournament. Thereafter they'll face Palmeiras and FC Porto in their respective group stage matches. READ MORE • Orlando Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs to star PSL signing! Which Orlando Pirates players do you think can fit in at Al Ahly? Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@ or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @ TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Broos must use these friendlies to decide Bafana Bafan's No 2
Bafana will play Tanzania at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday at 7.30pm and follow up with neighbours Mozambique at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night. WHILE it may go a long way to calming nerves for Bafana Bafana debutants, coach Hugo Broos' statement about giving all the players some minutes in the upcoming friendlies against Tanzania and Mozambique, must not apply to goalkeepers. Congratulations to Nkosinathi Sibisi, who has been named Bafana Bafana captain for the next two matches 👏 Back to Broos' squad, which is cautiously missing Mamelodi Sundowns players as they are preparing for the 2025 Fifa Club World to be played in the US from the 17th, there are three goalkeepers competing to start in the two friendlies - Orlando Pirates' Sipho Chaine, Sekhukhune United's Renaldo Leaner and SuperSport United's Ricardo Goss. These matches should not be confused with those of the A-side, also formerly known as Ama-Binneplaas, which is competing in the Cosafa Cup against Mozambique on Wednesday afternoon, Zimbabwe on Saturday and Mauritius on Tuesday. This is Bafana Bafana. They represent South Africa, and whenever they play, we as South Africans are always fully behind them….. With Ronwen Williams on Club World Cup duty, the door is open for these goalkeepers to elevate themselves to the national team's trusted number two shot stopper. But with the Belgian mentor quoted this week saying: 'It is a great opportunity for the new players and also the young ones, there is no pressure. We are playing friendly matches, so the results are not that important. From my side, I will give every player the same playing time.' Therein lies the problem. This approach will not help the coach and his technical team in zoning into who should be Williams official lieutenant. A good thing is that he himself, Broos understands this approach is quite tricky with goalkeepers, as he continued to say: 'It is a little bit difficult for goalkeepers, but even for them, we will try every keeper to play the same minutes and have a good camp.' A free piece of advice to Broos is that he must not attempt this 'giving every player the same playing time' when it comes to goalkeepers. They must compete for the jersey and the best one of the bunch should start the first match, hands down. There is a downside to letting players know that they share playing time; no one will ascend the top spot. Yes from a common sense point of view, Chaine is supposedly the deputy to Williams currently, simply because of his performances with Pirates and his travels in the Caf Champions League. But the 28-year-old has actually only played one match out of his eight in the Bafana matchday squad. Goss on the other hand, has more experience with the national side, considering that he has even played in the Cosafa Cup and was part of the age group sides as a youngster. So, as much as there is not so much of a debate as to who is the better performing shot stopper between Goss and Chaine at the moment, competition for Williams' deputy is still very much wide open and giving out caps like Christmas presents will not help the Bafana cause. Having a settled and trusted number two will help even Williams to up his game, or better yet, it will prevent head-scratching during those times when he is not available for unavoidable reasons such as injuries. Broos must just have balls and start whoever shows more hunger among the three.
