Alejandro Garnacho, Benjamin Sesko and Eberechi Eze (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce, Maja Hitij, Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Although the start of the new Premier League season doesn’t coincide with the end of the summer transfer window, it’s fair to say it could lead to a few major sagas speeding up.
Here at CaughtOffside we frequently consult sources in the industry and work together with some of the most reliable journalists such as Fabrizio Romano and Christian Falk to give you the most reliable and up-to-date transfer news and help you make sense of the market.
With that in mind, here’s our latest look at some of the 12 biggest sagas that should be resolved soon, including insight into the Alexander Isak to Liverpool situation and imminent deals for Manchester United and Chelsea…
Alexander Isak
What’s happened so far?
Liverpool have had a £110m bid rejected, as per BBC Sport, while Alexander Isak has also only recently returned to Newcastle United training after informing the club of his desire to leave.
There has also been some interest from the Saudi Pro League, but nothing concrete, with the Sweden international keen on Liverpool but not currently thought to be giving serious consideration to leaving Europe.
It’s also well known that Isak has previously been on the radar of other top clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea, but without much optimism that a deal would be possible due to Newcastle’s demands.
What is likely to happen next?
At the time of writing, it doesn’t look like there are any major developments, but we fully expect Liverpool to come back in with an improved offer.
Fabrizio Romano has spoken on his YouTube channel about LFC being serious about Isak, assuring him: “We are here. We are ready. We have the money. We are prepared to make something important.”
Romano is not one for sensationalism – if he’s getting any indication that Liverpool still want Isak, and they have the money to afford the deal, then it is absolutely one to watch.
Newcastle’s pursuit of a new striker is also a reasonable clue that they’re not exactly banking on keeping their star player, but more on that to come.
Eberechi Eze
What’s happened so far?
CaughtOffside‘s information earlier this summer was that Arsenal had agreed the first part of payment terms with Crystal Palace for Eberechi Eze.
This was checked by multiple reliable sources, though the saga has dragged on, as can happen when there are various moving parts involved.
Alternatively, other sources such as the Times and Football Transfers are suggesting that the Gunners *will* bid soon, which sounds more different than it actually is.
The reality is that clubs rarely table official bids until there has already been some indication during initial discussions of what kind of bid could realistically be accepted.
Our information remains that Arsenal have been given encouragement on the Eze deal, but read on for more on why it might be one that drags on towards the end of the window.
What is likely to happen next?
At this point, there can be no concrete guarantee about where Eze will be playing his football after the September 1st deadline, but Arsenal definitely want the player.
The England international’s release clause expiring is not expected to have a major impact on how the saga plays out, as Arsenal’s intention has always been to negotiate around that.
As others have reported, Palace have been clear about expecting as much as £35m up front, though other sources have also thrown out figures closer to £40m. Both of these would be tricky for Arsenal.
Keep an eye on player sales at the Emirates Stadium – it may be that cashing in on players like Leandro Trossard or Fabio Vieira will enable the club to go into the final stage of Eze negotiations with a bit more financial leeway.
Benjamin Sesko
What’s happened so far?
This has accelerated in the last few days, with Manchester United now widely reported as closing in on the signing of Benjamin Sesko for around €75m plus €10m in add-ons, according to the Athletic and others.
Despite Newcastle also being interested as they potentially prepare to replace Isak up front, it’s understood that Sesko never gave the Magpies his green light on personal terms, with Man Utd then emerging as the Slovenia international’s clear preference.
Arsenal also held talks over Sesko earlier in the summer, but struggled to reach a compromise with RB Leipzig, moving on to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon instead.
Sesko received approaches from all three of Arsenal, United and Chelsea last summer, but at that time decided to stay for one more year at Leipzig, with the gentleman’s agreement that he could leave for the right price this summer.
What is likely to happen next?
The final round of negotiations are still taking place between United and Leipzig, but Sesko’s mind is made up and he’s waiting for permission to complete the move.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano in the X post below, Sesko is now training away from his Leipzig teammates, so he’s just waiting to be given the green light to travel to United for his medical and to sign his contract…
Xavi Simons
What’s happened so far?
As first reported on CaughtOffside a few weeks ago, the agent of Xavi Simons reached out to three London clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, with the view to getting his client a transfer to the Premier League.
The Netherlands international always intended to leave Leipzig this summer, and Fabrizio Romano told CaughtOffside that Barcelona and Bayern Munich were also options for him.
When those options no longer looked realistic, a move to England became the clear priority, with Chelsea now in pole position to bring Simons in from Leipzig.
What is likely to happen next?
This has gone a little quiet in recent days, which can happen when the final formalities of transfer negotiations drag on a bit – see also that final week of talks between Arsenal and Sporting for Viktor Gyokeres.
The bulk of the deal may well be done, but Leipzig are meticulous in the way they conduct their business, as selling their talented young players is such a key part of their model.
With the sale of Sesko also ongoing, that might have slowed things down with Simons, but the expectation remains that he will soon become a Chelsea player.
Alejandro Garnacho
What’s happened so far?
As Fabrizio Romano has posted today, deals for both Simons and Alejandro Garnacho remain on the agenda for Chelsea…
Garnacho’s future at Man Utd has seemed pretty clear for a while now, ever since the Argentina international’s thinly-veiled outburst after not getting that many minutes in the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.
Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim has been open to selling Garnacho, and there has been no shortage of interest, with Chelsea’s understood to be the strongest.
On top of that, sources have confirmed that the 21-year-old’s preference has always been to stay in the Premier League, making the deal a bit of a non-starter for other suitors such as Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen.
What is likely to happen next?
This has not yet got to a concrete stage, but Garnacho is understood to be keen on the potential move to Chelsea, and is waiting for them to step up negotiations with United.
This might well happen once the Simons deal is finalised, but it’s worth keeping an eye on other suitors in England, such as Aston Villa.
Either way, it seems highly unlikely that Garnacho will still be on the books at Old Trafford in a few weeks’ time, though the Red Devils’ asking price might need to come down, amid mixed reports of the player costing anywhere between £30-60m.
Marc Guehi
What’s happened so far?
In truth, not a lot. For all the noise around Marc Guehi this summer, he’s no closer to a move than at any point in the window.
Interest has been there from Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea, but all three clubs have so far been working on other priorities.
Guehi is open to leaving Palace, but his club would obviously rather not sell, so it’s essentially at a bit of a stand-still until the point when, or if, we see suitors come in with concrete offers.
What is likely to happen next?
There’s every chance Guehi will stay at Selhurst Park, as he’s not currently expected to push hard for a move, even if it would be his preference.
The England international is also in the final year of his contract, and clubs might calculate that they’d rather wait a year to sign him on a free, with Palace unlikely to entertain significantly reduced offers this summer.
Ibrahima Konate
What’s happened so far?
Last month, our information was that Ibrahima Konate had rejected Liverpool’s latest offer of a new contract. This led to renewed interest from Real Madrid, and the feeling that the Spanish giants could accelerate talks for him this summer.
Our colleague Christian Falk later played down links with Konate and Bayern Munich, with nothing advancing there or with any other club so far.
With Konate out of contract next summer, it could be that things have not really accelerated as expected due to the willingness of Real and other clubs to wait for him to become a free agent.
What is likely to happen next?
As things stand, it’s hard to see Konate staying at Liverpool, but the Reds seem willing to keep him and allow him to run down his contract.
There has been no sign of talks with Madrid or any other club, and the fact that LFC haven’t stepped up their interest in Guehi suggests they’re currently planning with Konate for the season ahead, which is now almost upon us.
Things can change quickly in the transfer market, but the most likely outcome at the moment is Konate moving to the Bernabeu on a free next summer, with Real confident that they have buy-in from the player.
Rodrygo Goes
What’s happened so far?
This saga has gone on for a while and at no point has it been that clear precisely what is happening, despite plenty of speculation.
We’ve frequently consulted multiple sources to try to get a clearer picture, without much luck.
What seems clear is that Arsenal like Rodrygo Goes, but not necessarily as their top priority (see Eze) for a number of reasons, most of which are financial.
Rodrygo’s wages demands are very high, as communicated via intermediaries, and this has led to Arsenal cooling their interest in a player who is not necessarily looking for a move anyway.
Although the Brazil international wants to play regularly and has communicated this to Xabi Alonso, he’s not yet told anyone at the club that he’s desperate for a move. Madrid would be open to a sale for the right price, but are also not actively pushing the player out of the door.
What is likely to happen next?
It’s all at a bit of a standstill, so for now something major would have to change for there to be any other scenario other than Rodrygo staying where he is.
The player could ask for an exit, or at least a loan, but until that happens, this perhaps suggests he’s content to fight for his place in Alonso’s side.
If Arsenal cannot agree a deal for Eze, perhaps this will be one to watch again, but not unless Rodrygo lowers his wage demands.
Most recent links with Liverpool could not be confirmed by any of our sources.
MORE: RODRYGO GOES PLAYER PROFILE
Nicolas Jackson
What’s happened so far?
The main thing that’s happened is that Chelsea have signed two new strikers this summer, bringing in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, which pretty clearly signals that Nicolas Jackson is going to play less often.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Chelsea are desperate to sell Jackson, but our latest information received this morning is that an exit looks likely.
Jackson has been offered to clubs, including Arsenal, but there haven’t been any takers so far, with the Blues also understood to have reluctantly lowered their asking price to around £60m, having previously wanted as much as £80m (but not the slightly crazy £100m figure that had also been reported by others).
What is likely to happen next?
The main teams to watch now are Newcastle and Aston Villa, even if nothing is advanced.
Some initial contacts have taken place, with Newcastle moving on to other striker targets after missing out on Sesko. Villa boss Unai Emery, meanwhile, knows Jackson from their time together at Villarreal and would be keen on a reunion.
CaughtOffside understands, however, that a permanent transfer looks complicated for Villa at this stage due to needing to sell before they can buy for PSR reasons.
Ollie Watkins
What’s happened so far?
Speaking of players Villa could sell, Ollie Watkins is also likely to be one to watch after a lot of interest in him so far this summer.
Although nothing has materialised yet, we know Arsenal had a bid rejected for Watkins back in January, and he was still under consideration at the Emirates this summer in case both Gyokeres and Sesko failed.
Since then, there has been some interest from Man United in Watkins, mostly from Ruben Amorim as he’s been keen to sign proven and experienced Premier League players this summer, as evidenced by moves for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
What is likely to happen next?
United chief Christopher Vivell has, however, prioritised the signing of Sesko, a player he knows well, and that deal is nearly done.
That makes Watkins moving to Old Trafford unlikely, and it’s also important to note that our sources have repeatedly stressed that Villa would rather not sell.
Still, the PSR issue for Villa is not going away, and that might mean one high-profile sale, even if it’s not necessarily Watkins who’d go.
Rasmus Hojlund
What’s happened so far?
Rasmus Hojlund is understood to be available for around £30m, but he’s also communicated a desire to stay at United for a bit longer.
There’s not been anything particularly concrete so far, but we have been made aware of interest from clubs in the Bundesliga and Serie A – more on that here.
This has not led to firm negotiations taking place, or offers coming in, and that might be because Hojlund’s camp simply aren’t inviting interest due to a desire to stay and fight for a place in Ruben Amorim’s side for a while longer.
What is likely to happen next?
MUFC probably won’t force Hojlund out, but the imminent arrival of Sesko might give them the chance to emphasise that Hojlund is not in their plans.
It’s certainly hard to imagine the Denmark international getting a lot of playing time next season, so this might be one of those situations where the player is eventually tempted into a late loan move.
Antony
What’s happened so far?
Fabrizio Romano has made it clear that Antony is one of a number of players up for sale at United, but so far that hasn’t led to anything concrete happening.
The Brazilian winger did well during a loan spell at Real Betis in the second half of last season, but it seems a permanent deal has been too expensive for the La Liga outfit.
There have been tentative links with clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia since then, but nothing has materialised so far.
What is likely to happen next?
Eventually, one expects an offer will come in for Antony and he’ll go, with United keen to sell, even if that means a (likely) significant loss on what they paid for him.
Keep an eye on his old manager Erik ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen, but for now a final destination is hard to call.
