Manchester Giants Target Alex Scott as City Eyes Gusto
The market hasn’t even hit full fever yet, but the Premier League’s elite are already jostling for position. Midfields are being rebuilt, back lines reimagined, and the price of potential keeps climbing.
At the centre of it all: Alex Scott, Malo Gusto and a new wave of talent being pushed toward the game’s sharpest end.
United and Arsenal collide over Alex Scott
Manchester United and Arsenal rarely agree on anything. This summer, they share a target.
Both clubs are tracking Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, according to The Daily Mail, with United in particular weighing a move as they plan to move on from Manuel Ugarte. Any deal will be expensive. Bournemouth are braced for offers, but the expectation is clear: it will take around £60 million to even start the conversation.
Scott, 22, earned that price tag the hard way. He emerged as one of Bournemouth’s standout performers last season, knitting together possession, breaking lines and carrying himself like a player destined for a bigger stage. The Cherries know it too. They are keen to lock him into a new contract and force bidders to pay top-of-the-market money for a midfielder who looks built for the modern Premier League.
United’s midfield is in flux. Arsenal’s is evolving rather than collapsing. The tug-of-war for Scott could tell us plenty about where both projects are heading.
City’s next right-back: Gusto in the frame
Across town, Manchester City are already planning for life after Kyle Walker.
Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto has emerged as a serious option, with Nicolo Schira reporting that City have shown concrete interest in the 23-year-old. Gusto joined Chelsea in January 2023 for around £30 million and has grown into one of the most dynamic young full-backs in the league: aggressive on the front foot, comfortable high up the pitch, and technically polished enough to slot straight into City’s possession-heavy structure.
There’s another layer to this. Gusto could reunite with former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, who is edging closer to being confirmed as Pep Guardiola’s successor. The idea is obvious: a long-term Walker replacement, already schooled in Maresca’s positional play, dropping into a dressing room used to winning everything.
If City move, they tend to move decisively. Gusto fits the profile of their next defensive evolution.
Liverpool, Newcastle and the race for goals
Liverpool and Newcastle, meanwhile, are shopping in the same aisle.
The Daily Mail reports that both clubs are interested in Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, a 21-year-old who directly contributed to 13 goals in 29 Ligue 1 games last season. For Liverpool, he is being considered as a more affordable alternative to RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, whose valuation sits at a daunting €120 million.
Liverpool have already watched one major deal go Newcastle’s way, after the Magpies beat them to Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna for €40 million. Fernandez-Pardo could become the next battleground.
Newcastle’s search doesn’t stop there. They are also tracking FC Cologne winger Said El Mala, who has attracted interest from Brighton and Brentford, as they look for a replacement for Anthony Gordon after his €70 million move to Barcelona. Gordon’s departure leaves a glaring hole in their attack. Newcastle are casting the net wide to fill it.
Villa test West Ham’s resolve over Bowen
Aston Villa are refusing to stand still.
Unai Emery’s side are keen on West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, according to The Athletic. Emery admires the 29-year-old, and Villa have made that interest known. West Ham, though, are in no rush to lose their talisman as they aim to win promotion back to the Premier League. Even so, the door is not locked. Proposals around the £50 million mark could tempt them into serious talks.
At the same time, Villa are drawing a firm line elsewhere. Sky Sports reports that they have informed Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain that Morgan Rogers is not for sale this summer. The message is blunt: Bowen might be a target, but Rogers will not be the makeweight.
Real Madrid turn to Enzo Fernández
Real Madrid rarely linger on a lost target. They just pivot to the next one.
Having accepted that a move for Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise is highly unlikely, the European champions have turned their attention to Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández, according to AS. The 25-year-old is understood to be keen on a move away from Stamford Bridge and has expressed a desire to live in Madrid.
Chelsea, though, will not let him go cheaply. Any deal would require a fee north of €130 million. That is the going rate now for a World Cup-winning midfielder in his prime, under a long contract, at a club that doesn’t need to sell.
If Madrid push ahead, this becomes one of the defining sagas of the window.
Chelsea close on Palestra as Álvarez sparks a scramble
While they fight to keep hold of some stars, Chelsea are close to adding another.
ESPN sources say the club are nearing a deal worth around €55 million for Atalanta full-back Marco Palestra. Talks are progressing well, with an agreement expected soon, even though the final fee is still being ironed out. Inter Milan had been in negotiations for the 21-year-old, who was named Serie A’s defender of the year after a standout season-long loan at Cagliari, where he made 37 appearances.
If Chelsea seal it, they will have beaten one of Italy’s smartest recruiters to one of Serie A’s most coveted young defenders.
Higher up the pitch, another major storyline is brewing. Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez has told ESPN he wants to leave this summer, just as Europe’s superclubs crowd around his signature. Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal have all been linked, while Real Madrid had a €150 million bid rejected last month.
A centre-forward in his prime, with that level of interest and that sort of price tag, will shape the top end of the market. Wherever Álvarez lands, the ripple effect will be huge.
A record-breaker in the women’s game
The women’s market is having its own landmark moment.
Sweden forward Felicia Schröder has completed a major move from BK Häcken to Real Madrid. Häcken and Schröder’s agent, Linus Gunnarsson, have described it as the “biggest transfer” in women’s football history, though they declined to reveal the fee or confirm whether it sets a new record.
The exact number remains under wraps, but the direction of travel is obvious: top clubs are now prepared to invest heavily in elite women’s talent, and Real Madrid intend to be at the front of that queue.
The rest of the market: Balogun, Gakpo, Kolo Muani and more
Beneath the headline names, the market keeps grinding.
- AS Monaco and USMNT striker Folarin Balogun is expected to leave Ligue 1 this summer, with Premier League clubs circling, according to The Athletic.
- Liverpool will only consider selling Cody Gakpo if a significant offer arrives, amid links with Tottenham Hotspur, say Football Insider.
- Roma are pushing to tie Paulo Dybala down to a new contract as soon as possible, reports Corriere dello Sport.
- Real Madrid remain interested in Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck despite his ankle injury, which is set to sideline him for around two months, according to Mundo Deportivo.
- Barcelona are preparing a fresh €150 million offer to sign Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez, claims El Chiringuito.
- Arsenal have opened talks to sign 16-year-old Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga, says The Athletic.
- Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz, who has been linked with a €9 million return to Real Madrid, per TEAMtalk.
- Juventus are in discussions with Paris Saint-Germain over striker Randal Kolo Muani, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
- Atalanta are assessing Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic, who spent last season on loan at FC Salzburg, reports Gianluca Di Marzio.
- Roma have dismissed Chelsea-linked full-back Wesley Franca as a target, says Fabrizio Romano.
Money is moving, plans are hardening, and the same question lingers over almost every deal: who gets their rebuild right, and who spends the next season regretting the one that got away?
