Each Premier League Club’s Most Likely Summer Transfer Signing According to AI

Arsenal

Most likely signing: Eli Junior Kroupi – Bournemouth

Why this move makes sense

Arsenal have just won the Premier League, are in the Champions League final, and Josh Kroenke has publicly said the squad will still be strengthened rather than left to stand still.

The obvious statement names – Julián Álvarez, Rodrygo and Nico Williams – either cost silly money or come with bigger competing pulls. Kroupi is the cleaner recruitment bet. He is 19, on low wages, has huge resale value, is already Premier League-proven after a 12/13-goal teenage breakout, and fills the Gabriel Jesus succession slot without demanding to start every week.

Bournemouth do not want to sell after qualifying for Europe, so this is not straightforward. But they are a selling club at the right price, and Kroupi is exactly the kind of elite young forward Arsenal can justify more easily than another £100m-plus superstar.

Players who just missed out

Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa
Tino Livramento – Newcastle United
Bradley Barcola – Paris Saint-Germain

 

Aston Villa

Most likely signing: Gabriel Sara – Galatasaray

Why this move makes sense

Sara is the cleanest Villa pick because he matches the football need and the financial reality.

Villa finished fourth, won the Europa League and are back in the Champions League, so the pull is there. But they still have PSR pressure after a low-net-spend 2025/26 window, and Swiss Ramble’s analysis shows the club were effectively forced into player trading last summer rather than spending freely.

Their midfield is also at a transition point. Sara gives Emery a left-footed No 8/10 who can carry the ball, combine between lines, take set-pieces and play in the half-spaces without costing £60m-plus.

He is currently at Galatasaray, has Premier League/Championship adaptation upside from his Norwich spell, is valued around €27m, and recent reporting says Villa are one of the leading candidates for him. Galatasaray’s likely price sits roughly in the £30m–£35m bracket rather than elite-club money.

It is not the most glamorous signing, but it is exactly the sort of Champions League-level, Emery-friendly, PSR-conscious move Villa are more likely to make than chasing a flashier wide forward on huge wages.

Players who just missed out

Abde Ezzalzouli – Real Betis
Danilho Doekhi – Union Berlin
Víctor Muñoz – Osasuna

 

Bournemouth

Most likely signing: Jhon Lucumí – Bologna

Why this move makes sense

Lucumí is the most realistic Bournemouth pick because the need is obvious.

They are losing Marcos Senesi on a free after already seeing Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez leave from the previous defensive core. Credible reporting also says Bournemouth’s summer priorities are a centre-back and a striker.

Lucumí fits that hole better than a flashier name. He is left-sided, experienced, comfortable defending space, used to playing in a proactive team at Bologna, and available in a market window where Bologna have an incentive to sell because he is not expected to extend before his deal runs down.

The fee should sit in Bournemouth’s realistic range, roughly £18m–£25m rather than £40m-plus, and Europa League football makes the pitch stronger than it would have been a year ago. Bournemouth can offer Premier League wages, European football and a starting role immediately.

That combination makes Lucumí a cleaner fit than Ousmane Diomandé, who feels too expensive and likely to attract bigger clubs.

Players who just missed out

Maxime Estève – Burnley
Tarik Muharemović – Sassuolo
Ousmane Diomandé – Sporting CP

 

Brentford

Most likely signing: Said El Mala – FC Köln

Why this move makes sense

Brentford’s most likely signing is Said El Mala. They have bid around £40m, BBC reports the package at €45m/£39m, and Sky Germany says Köln are holding out for at least €50m, with the player not yet agreed personally.

Brentford finished ninth under Keith Andrews, missed Europe on goal difference, and have already started the summer by signing young Salzburg centre-back Jannik Schuster. This looks like a continuation of their model: aggressive, data-led buying of high-upside players before the absolute elite clubs make the market impossible.

They lost Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa last summer. Igor Thiago carried the goals brilliantly, while Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade gave them power and running, but they still need another high-ceiling wide forward who can beat players, create shots and grow in value.

El Mala’s 13 goals and five assists in his first Bundesliga season give him the production profile Brentford usually chase. The fee is high, but believable after the Mbeumo/Wissa money and the £42m Ouattara deal.

The obvious risk is competition from bigger clubs. Bayern, Dortmund and Brighton/Chelsea-type clubs have been linked. Brentford’s advantage is clearer minutes, a proven development pathway and a serious offer already on the table.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Matteo Cancellieri – Lazio
Yeremay Hernández – Deportivo La Coruña
André Luiz – Rio Ave

 

Brighton

Most likely signing: Charlie Cresswell – Toulouse

Why this move makes sense

Cresswell is the cleanest Brighton fit: young enough for the model, already proven across two Ligue 1 seasons, English/homegrown-trained, affordable on wages and in exactly the position Brighton may need to future-proof.

Brighton have qualified for the Conference League, Fabian Hürzeler is staying, and the squad now needs enough depth to handle Europe without blocking resale-value players.

Centre-back makes more sense than a splashier attacking signing. Adam Webster is out of contract this summer, Joël Veltman is also at the end of his deal, Lewis Dunk is 34, and Jan Paul van Hecke is already being linked away.

Brighton were reported to have made a €24m January bid, they remain interested, and Toulouse are a selling club who can make a huge profit on a player they bought for around €1.5m. His contract runs to 2028 and his wages are estimated at about €19k per week, so the fee would probably need to land around the mid-£20m range. The salary structure, though, is realistic for Brighton.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Nathan De Cat – Anderlecht
Femi Azeez – Millwall
Viery – Grêmio

 

Chelsea

Most likely signing: Ibrahima Konaté – Liverpool

Why this move makes sense

Konaté is the cleanest realistic Chelsea call because he answers the obvious gap in the squad: senior, title-winning, Premier League-proven centre-back experience, without forcing Chelsea into another £70m-plus amortised fee.

Chelsea’s current defensive group is talented but still young and patchy. Colwill, Hato, Sarr, Badiashile, Tosin and Chalobah all have something to offer, but the squad has lacked authority through a chaotic season.

Xabi Alonso starts on 1 July. Chelsea have no European football after finishing 10th, and that makes the pitch harder. It also makes a free-agent signing with immediate status more logical than another speculative project.

Konaté is now expected to leave Liverpool after failing to agree a new deal, with Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern all credited with interest. The danger is obvious: Champions League clubs can beat Chelsea on sporting appeal.

Chelsea can still offer London, huge wages, a major role, Xabi Alonso, and a fast route to becoming the experienced defensive leader rather than one more centre-back in a stacked elite-club rotation. The likely cost is not a transfer fee but a major signing-on fee and wages, which fits Chelsea’s PSR logic better than paying £60m–£80m for a younger defender.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Ousmane Diomandé – Sporting CP
Igor Thiago – Brentford
Adam Wharton – Crystal Palace

 

Coventry

Most likely signing: Ross Barkley – Aston Villa

Why this move makes sense

Coventry are back in the Premier League after winning the Championship under Frank Lampard, and the obvious recruitment problem is that a strong, high-scoring Championship squad still lacks top-flight experience in midfield and attacking midfield areas.

Lampard’s Coventry have mostly worked from a 4-2-3-1, with efficient forward play rather than sterile possession. Barkley fits as someone who can play as an advanced No 8/10, carry the ball, take pressure off Matt Grimes, Jack Rudoni and Victor Torp, and give them a Premier League-ready option without eating the whole budget.

The link is also one of the firmer ones. BBC reported that Lampard wants Barkley as his first summer signing, with the midfielder out of contract at Villa at the end of the season.

He would be expensive on wages by Coventry standards and there may be interest elsewhere. Even so, a free transfer for a player Lampard knows, who needs minutes and who adds immediate survival experience is more realistic than splashier names like Harvey Elliott, John Stones or Raheem Sterling.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Dan Neil – Sunderland
Sorba Thomas – Stoke City
Ross Sykes – Union Saint-Gilloise

 

Crystal Palace

Most likely signing: Hayden Hackney – Middlesbrough

Why this move makes sense

Hackney is the cleanest Palace signing because he sits right in their recruitment sweet spot: 23, English/homegrown, Championship-proven, tactically useful and not yet priced like a fully established Premier League midfielder.

Palace are coming off a strange but historic season: Conference League winners, Europa League football secured, but also a managerial reset after Oliver Glasner’s exit. They need players who raise the floor of the squad without blowing the budget.

Hackney has already been reported as Palace’s No 1 midfield target, with a planned opening bid around £12m. Middlesbrough’s play-off final defeat makes a sale far more realistic than it would have been had they gone up.

His contract runs to 2027, so Boro still have leverage, but not enough to demand silly money. A deal in the £15m–£20m range feels plausible.

He would give Palace another ball-secure central midfielder alongside Adam Wharton, protect them if Wharton interest becomes serious, and help them handle Thursday-Sunday football. Bigger clubs may watch him, but Palace can offer a faster route to minutes, European games and a proven pathway from EFL standout to Premier League starter.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Shea Charles – Southampton
Milan van Ewijk – Coventry City
Zakaria El Ouahdi – Genk

 

Everton

Most likely signing: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – West Ham United

Why this move makes sense

Everton’s cleanest summer need is right-back, not another headline gamble.

David Moyes has been trying to fix that position for over a year, Seamus Coleman is at the end of his Everton cycle, and Jake O’Brien is still a centre-back being stretched into a full-back role.

Everton finished 13th on 49 points, missed Europe, and still look more like a side trying to build a reliable top-half squad than one ready to throw £40m–£50m at luxury attackers.

Wan-Bissaka fits that reality. He is Premier League-proven, 28, physically strong, defensively elite in one-v-one situations and available because West Ham’s relegation has created a forced-sales market.

Reports put Everton’s interest around £10m, which is low enough to make sense for a club still emerging from PSR pressure but now backed by the Friedkin Group. His wages are not tiny, but they are far more manageable than a Jack Grealish permanent deal.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Ngal’ayel Mukau – Lille
Mohamed Amoura – Wolfsburg
Jamie Leweling – Stuttgart

 

Fulham

Most likely signing: Ricardo Pepi – PSV Eindhoven

Why this move makes sense

Pepi is still the cleanest Fulham fit, even with the obvious caveat that the March deal collapsed.

Fulham finished 11th on 52 points, outside Europe, so this is more likely to be a “raise the floor and future-proof the XI” window than a glamour one. Their clearest squad need is centre-forward: Raúl Jiménez’s deal runs to June 2026 and his future is unresolved, Rodrigo Muniz has had injury issues, and Fulham have already shown they are willing to spend proper money on younger resale-value attackers after the £27m Oscar Bobb deal.

Pepi fits that lane. He is 23, has proven goals at PSV, good Champions League exposure, and has already gone far enough down the Fulham road to travel for a medical after a deal worth around €40m/£30m was agreed before PSV said it was off over late details.

That makes him more realistic than a shinier name because the club, player and fee framework have effectively already been tested. The risk is PSV holding firm or post-World Cup competition growing, but Fulham can offer the thing he needs most: Premier League starts, a clear No 9 pathway and a bigger role than he gets at PSV.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Troy Parrott – AZ Alkmaar
Malik Tillman – Bayer Leverkusen
Wagner Pina – Trabzonspor

 

Hull City

Most likely signing: Imrân Louza – Watford

Why this move makes sense

Hull will have room to spend after promotion. The better call is not a pure free-agent move, but a controlled-fee signing in the £8m–£14m range, probably from the Championship or a relegated/financially flexible club.

Louza looks a more realistic “first Premier League signing” for Hull than a flashy established top-flight name. Hull have just come up through the play-offs, with Oli McBurnie scoring the Wembley winner, and their 2025/26 squad leaned heavily on short-term loans in key areas. John Lundstram, Amir Hadžiahmetović, Joe Gelhardt and Yū Hirakawa were all loan additions due to expire.

Promotion changes the budget, but not the club’s buying lane. Acun Ilıcalı has put significant money into Hull, while the Guardian also described the club’s recruitment under Jared Dublin as more long-term and planned rather than scattergun.

Louza fits that middle ground. He is 27, left-footed, Championship-proven, technically strong enough to help Hull keep the ball better in the Premier League, and Watford would realistically sell at the right price because he is not at a newly promoted club and has already attracted Premier League and overseas interest.

Transfermarkt lists him at Watford with a contract to 2028 and a €14m valuation, while reports have put Watford’s asking price around £12m–£14m. That is expensive by Championship standards, but perfectly believable for a promoted Premier League side needing an immediate starting midfielder without entering the £25m–£35m market.

The main risk is Saudi/Gulf interest, but if Louza wants Premier League football and a major role, Hull can offer both.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Josh Tymon – Swansea City
Taylor Harwood-Bellis – Southampton
Harrison Armstrong – Everton

 

Ipswich Town

Most likely signing: Nelson Deossa – Real Betis

Why this move makes sense

Ipswich are back in the Premier League after sealing automatic promotion with a final-day win over QPR, and the squad still needs more power, athleticism and carry in midfield if Kieran McKenna is going to make them more resilient this time around.

Deossa looks like the most realistic “proper” signing because this is not just a vague name fit. AS reports Betis actively want to sell him, Ipswich are the strongest financial suitor mentioned, and Betis would be in profit on any bid above roughly €9m after paying €11.5m last year.

TWTD also has Ipswich showing interest, with River Plate, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama in the mix, but Premier League wages and fee power should beat the South American market if Ipswich are serious.

He is not a perfect-risk profile – he only started eight La Liga games in 2025/26 – but that is exactly why he is gettable for a promoted side rather than being priced out of reach.

Dan Neil is ruled out as the main pick because he was already at Ipswich on loan, and the brief specifically says not to choose a loan-to-permanent-type move. Chuba Akpom and Cédric Kipré are also already treated as permanent/settled business.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Roggerio Nyakossi – OH Leuven
Imran Louza – Watford
Solly March – Brighton & Hove Albion

 

Leeds United

Most likely signing: Lukáš Horníček – Braga

Why this move makes sense

Leeds finished 14th with 47 points in their first season back, so this is not a “throw money at Europe” window. It is a consolidation summer with one or two serious upgrades.

Goalkeeper is the cleanest fit. Illan Meslier looks set to leave, Karl Darlow has had a good season but is 35, and Lucas Perri’s future already appears uncertain despite only arriving from Lyon last summer.

Leeds’s 2025 recruitment showed they are willing to spend proper Premier League money on the spine: Lucas Perri, Jaka Bijol, Anton Stach, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor. Horníček fits that pattern better than a glamour name. He is 23, 6ft 5in/6ft 6in, has resale value, is already a No 1 at Braga, and is comfortable enough with the ball for Daniel Farke’s possession-heavy 4-2-3-1.

Braga would not be easy sellers because his deal runs to 2028, but the reported realistic fee range of around £17m–£20m is exactly the sort of ambitious-but-not-stupid outlay Leeds can justify under 49ers ownership.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Mauro Júnior – PSV
Ayase Ueda – Feyenoord
Konstantinos Mavropanos – West Ham

 

Liverpool

Most likely signing: Bazoumana Touré – TSG Hoffenheim

Why this move makes sense

Touré looks like the most Liverpool-shaped answer to a messy summer.

They have Champions League football, but they also need to manage the squad after a huge 2025 spend on Wirtz, Isak, Ekitike, Kerkez, Frimpong and Leoni, plus the delayed arrival of Jérémy Jacquet. Salah and Robertson are leaving, Konaté is now expected to go too, and Slot has already hinted Liverpool’s model still leans towards selling to buy.

That makes an £80m-plus Yan Diomande deal harder to justify unless there are major sales. Touré sits in a more believable bracket: 20 years old, contract to 2029, Hoffenheim, reported €40m–€50m asking price, strong resale logic, and a wide-forward profile that gives Liverpool pace, one-v-one threat and succession planning without blowing the budget again.

He is not a perfect like-for-like Salah replacement, but that is probably the point. Liverpool are more likely to spread that burden across Wirtz, Isak, Ekitike, Gakpo and a younger wide signing than chase a superstar who creates a PSR and wage problem.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Yan Diomande – RB Leipzig
Bradley Barcola – Paris Saint-Germain
Jarrod Bowen – West Ham United

 

Manchester City

Most likely signing: Tino Livramento – Newcastle United

Why this move makes sense

Livramento is the cleanest City pick because the need is obvious and the market logic lines up.

City finished second and are back in the Champions League, but the post-Guardiola/Maresca transition still needs a proper long-term right-back rather than another season of makeshift solutions. Maresca is expected to succeed Guardiola, so City are unlikely to rip up the positional-play model. They need a high-level full-back who can defend wide, carry forward, invert when needed and still has resale value.

Livramento is 23, homegrown, Premier League-proven and under contract at Newcastle until 2028. He will not be cheap – probably £60m–£75m – but that is exactly the sort of aggressive, squad-shaping deal City can justify after finishing second and already spending heavily on younger, prime-age players.

TEAMtalk reports City have made him their priority right-back target, with Arsenal interested but unlikely to match City’s financial push. That fits the logic better than flashier names like Rodrygo or another elite midfielder when City have already added Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Donnarumma and Trafford across the last year.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Michael Kayode – Brentford
Givairo Read – Feyenoord
Elliot Anderson – Nottingham Forest

 

Manchester United

Most likely signing: Éderson – Atalanta

Why this move makes sense

Éderson is the most realistic Man United pick because multiple reports say a deal is close or agreed around the £37m–£39m mark, with personal terms either done or not expected to be a problem.

United finished third and are back in the Champions League, Michael Carrick has been confirmed as head coach, and the midfield need is obvious. Casemiro’s contract is expiring, and United clearly want a more mobile, durable, high-intensity option next to or around Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes.

Atalanta are a selling club when the price is right. Éderson’s fee is big but not silly by United standards, and he is far more plausible than the flashier names. Carlos Baleba is still Brighton-priced, Aurélien Tchouaméni would be a huge wage/competition play, and Elliot Anderson appears harder because of fee and rival interest.

Sky also reports United are close to agreeing the Atalanta deal, which makes Éderson the strongest blend of need, affordability, player willingness and market momentum.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Mateus Fernandes – West Ham United
João Gomes – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Carlos Baleba – Brighton & Hove Albion

 

Newcastle United

Most likely signing: Ewen Jaouen – Stade de Reims

Why this move makes sense

Jaouen is the cleanest Newcastle pick because it lines up with need, price and deal momentum.

Newcastle finished 12th and missed Europe, so this is more likely to be a reset window than a pure statement-signing summer. Their goalkeeping situation is messy: Aaron Ramsdale’s loan/option expires this summer, Nick Pope is under contract only to 2027, and several older defenders/keepers are either leaving or near the end.

Jaouen has already reportedly visited the club, agreed in principle to join, and Reims are said to want around €20m. That is a sensible fee for Newcastle under PSR pressure and after a disappointing league season.

It also fits the rebuild logic: young, high-upside, lower wages, not blocked by Champions League demands, and coming from a Reims side that failed to get back into Ligue 1. Gordon’s expected £69.3m move to Barcelona gives Newcastle cash to work with, but it does not mean they can blow the lot on one flashy forward. A goalkeeper deal at this level feels far more executable.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Robin Risser – RC Lens
James Trafford – Manchester City
Matias Fernandez-Pardo – Lille

 

Nottingham Forest

Most likely signing: Hayden Hackney – Middlesbrough

Why this move makes sense

Forest’s most logical move is a central midfielder, especially with Elliot Anderson attracting serious interest from Manchester City and United, and Forest reportedly valuing him at a huge fee rather than actively pushing him out.

They finished 16th in the Premier League, missed out on 2026/27 Europe despite a deep Europa League run, and Vitor Pereira has publicly framed the summer around building rather than stripping the squad.

Hackney fits the Forest recruitment lane: English, homegrown, 23, already captain-level in the Championship, technically secure enough to play as an Anderson-style No 8, and attainable because Middlesbrough missed promotion in the play-off final.

Forest already tried for him in January, Boro knocked it back while promotion was alive, and fresh reports say Forest are ready to go again after that Wembley defeat. The fee would not be cheap – likely somewhere around £25m–£35m given his contract runs to 2027 and previous valuations – but that is exactly the kind of deal Forest can justify if Anderson leaves for elite-club money.

It is also much more realistic than chasing a Champions League-level midfielder or getting dragged into the Mateus Fernandes race with Man United and PSG-type competition.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Arne Engels – Celtic
Tyler Morton – Lyon
Joe Willock – Newcastle United

 

Sunderland

Most likely signing: Geoffrey Kondogbia – Marseille

Why this move makes sense

Kondogbia is the most believable Sunderland pick because it matches where the club are now: suddenly in the Europa League, needing proven squad depth, but still not in the market for £35m–£50m statement signings every time they have a gap.

Sunderland finished seventh with 54 points, qualified for Europe under Régis Le Bris, and last summer’s jump was built on a mix of expensive upside buys and experienced stabilisers like Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete.

Kondogbia fits the Xhaka logic more than the wonderkid logic. He is 33, hugely experienced, physically strong, able to cover defensive midfield and centre-back, and available because Marseille are reportedly ready to move him on after a season of limited minutes.

The fee should be manageable – likely low single-digit millions – because he has one year left and is a wage burden for Marseille, although Sunderland would need him to compromise on salary. It is not a sexy resale-value move, but with Dan Neil gone, European fixtures coming, and Xhaka/Sadiki/Diarra likely attracting interest, it is exactly the sort of short-term squad-planning signing Sunderland could justify.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Soufiane El-Faouzi – Schalke 04
Costinha – Olympiacos
Rumarn Burrell – Queens Park Rangers

 

Tottenham Hotspur

Most likely signing: Marcos Senesi – AFC Bournemouth

Why this move makes sense

Senesi is the cleanest “most likely” Tottenham signing because the market logic is stronger than the glamour. In fact, he has been Here We Go’d by Fabrizio already, so the official announcement should be any day now.

Spurs finished 17th, have Roberto De Zerbi in charge, and are openly in reset mode after a season where survival went to the final day. Their owners and executives have publicly talked about rebuilding rather than minor tweaks.

Centre-back depth is an obvious need with uncertainty around Cristian Romero, Ben Davies out of contract and Luka Vušković’s immediate role still unclear.

Senesi is Premier League-proven, left-footed, 29, available on a free when his Bournemouth deal expires on 30 June, and multiple reports say Spurs have reached agreement/advanced terms.

He is not exciting in the statement-signing sense, but that is exactly why it feels plausible: no transfer fee, manageable wages compared with elite targets, immediate experience, and a player who can help De Zerbi stabilise a broken defensive unit without eating the whole budget.

João Palhinha is not the pick because he is already at Spurs on loan, which breaks the rule.

Backups if this pick becomes unrealistic

Savinho – Manchester City
Jan Paul van Hecke – Brighton & Hove Albion

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – West Ham

 

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