The summer transfer window for the Premier League officially opens on June 14, and clubs have almost three months to reshape their squads before it closes at 23.00 BST on Sept. 1.
Some deals have already been finalised, with Liverpool signing Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister for an initial fee of £35 million (potentially rising to £55m), while Brighton have landed Watford winger Joao Pedro for a club-record fee of around £30m and Crystal Palace have confirmed an agreement is in place to sign Jefferson Lerma when his Bournemouth contract expires on June 30.
The biggest deals are yet to be done, though, with Tottenham’s Harry Kane, West Ham’s Declan Rice and Chelsea‘s Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku (yes, he’s still a Chelsea player) facing uncertain futures.
There are also question marks over Manchester United‘s Harry Maguire, David de Gea and even Marcus Rashford, while Mohamed Salah‘s decision to go public over his frustration at not qualifying for next season’s Champions League has raised the prospect of the Liverpool forward being targeted by a rival club.
So who are the players at the centre of speculation in the Premier League this summer? Will they stay, go, negotiate a new contract or opt to leave as a free agent in 2024?
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Harry Kane
Not for the first time — and maybe not the last — Kane will be at the centre of the biggest “stay or go” saga of the summer. Two years after failing to force a move from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester City in search of silverware, the England captain is now in a much stronger position to dictate the outcome due to his contract having 12 months left to run.
Kane, whose transfer could still cost upwards of £100m, is attracting attention from Manchester United and Real Madrid, while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also have a long-standing interest. And while Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is regarded as one of football’s toughest negotiators, he knows keeping the 29-year-old to his contract is a risk given he can leave for nothing next summer. This is a much tougher scenario to contend with than two years ago.
Ultimately, if Kane wants to leave, he has to force the issue and make it clear to Levy that he won’t sign new terms. Or he could sign a new contract and commit the rest of his career to the club. One thing is for certain: once England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia are out of the way next week, it will be decision time.
