5 Premier League Transfers That Could Still Happen

The transfer saga of the summer that is still yet to come to a concrete conclusion is the future of Frenkie de Jong who, for the moment, remains a Barcelona player.

When Erik ten Hag was unveiled as Man Utd manager, it seemed obvious that the Dutch manager was going to turn to his old players to help improve a United side that is in need of improvement.

The former Ajax boss already has raided his former side for their star centre-back, signing Lisandro Martinez. With United in need of a midfielder capable of winning the ball deep and progressing the ball quickly, it seemed a sure thing that de Jong would be next through the door at Old Trafford, fitting the profile of a ten Hag midfielder after their success together at Ajax.

Whilst ten Hag has clearly pushed for the move to go through, it has still stalled, with doubts about the player's interest and the financial situation at the Nou Camp all being reported as reasons for the move fizzling out and failing to materialise.

It's clear that Barcelona are hoping the player will leave so that they can get his high salary off the books, as well as making sure that their raft of summer signings can be officially registered. But, with de Jong being owed deferred wages and wanting to stay in Spain, the situation has dragged on. There has also been some reported interest from Chelsea, which could see ten Hag have one last big push for the former Ajax man before the window shuts, and maybe just convince him to join his new era at United.

Speaking of players ten Hag could persuade to follow him to England, current Ajax winger Antony is another rumoured target on United’s radar, who could still join the Red Devils.

The Brazilian winger has been influential in Ajax and ten Hag’s success in recent years, lighting up the right wing with his incredible skill, trickery, and pace. United have a fair share of wingers at the club, but you feel the likes of Amad Diallo, Facundo Pellestri, Tahith Chong, and Anthony Elanga aren’t quite at the level to be a Man United regular and could be sent out on loan to further their development.

Youngster Alejandro Garnacho could feature in the squad but isn’t likely to play a leading role, leaving just Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho – both of whom enjoy being on the left and cutting inside. Antony would be a perfect buy for United, as he flourishes being on the right and cutting in on his left foot.

Early in the summer window, it seemed as though Antony was a shoo-in to be a new United signing and was very open to following ten Hag. Those rumours have since petered out, with Ajax apparently pricing out United of making a significant move. There is still plenty of time for that to change though, and for United to strike a deal and bring Antony to Manchester.

A transfer story that seems to have picked up speed in recent days is the somewhat surprising report of James Maddison moving to Newcastle. It’s been speculated that the Magpies have had two bids, the second being in the region of £50million, rejected by Leicester.

Maddison moved to the Foxes from Norwich in 2018 for £24m and has enjoyed a good spell at the King Power. In that time, only Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold have created more chances in the Premier League than Maddison.

With the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund behind them, the Magpies have already made some strong signings this season and look as though they have set their sights on Maddison to come in and bolster their creativity even further. Money won’t be an issue for Newcastle and, with Leicester apparently willing to settle for around £60m, this deal could well be on the cards.

Ever since the sale of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, it looked nailed on that Marc Cucurella was going to link up with Pep Guardiola and slot in as the Ukrainian left-back’s replacement. However, in recent weeks, talk of a move to Manchester City has stalled and Chelsea have emerged as the frontrunners to sign the left-back.

With the Brighton full-back putting in a transfer request at the south coast side, it’s looking as though it may only be a matter of time before Cucurella leaves the Seagulls, after gaining the interest of some of the biggest clubs with his impressive displays last season. It is becoming more likely that Chelsea will be the side that acquires his services, with reports that a deal is close for Thomas Tuchel’s side. There is also apparent interest from Barcelona as well, so this one could go either way.

Whether the London outfit get their man, Barcelona snatch another Chelsea target, or Pep makes one last push for the Spaniard remains to be seen, but a deal for Cucurella to leave the AMEX looks on the cards.

After impressing last season at Burnley, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see clubs queuing up to make a move for Maxwel Cornet following the Claret’s relegation.

Cornet had ten direct goal involvements last season and was Burnley’s best player before their fall to the Championship. The versatile winger can play anywhere down the left flank or also up front if needs be, making him a good signing for many teams.

Newcastle and Everton are some of the teams that have been linked with the Ivory Coast international, but it’s West Ham who look likeliest to snap up Cornet. The former Lyon man will surely be after a move back into the Premier League, so you would feel that Burnley wouldn’t be able to stop him going.