With the end of the 2023/24 Premier League season in sight, English top-tier clubs will soon focus fully on the transfer market to improve their squads for the 2024/25 campaign. Certain clubs are bound to be busy, with their results and positions falling short of expectations.
What will the summer transfer window hold for clubs like Chelsea and Man Utd, with both experiencing poor seasons? Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp is leaving, and having missed the chance to claim the coveted Premier League after a bad run of late results, could this result in wholesale changes at Anfield this summer?
There is much speculation ahead of the off-season with – if we believe the rumours – some big-name foreign players set to join the world’s richest league before the new season kicks off in August. Fans will wait in anticipation as potential transfers develop, while sports bettors access online betting sites offering odds on which top foreigners will move to England, hopeful their predictions at the bookies will turn into successful gambling endeavours.
Of course, nothing is certain until a club accepts a bid and the player signs on the dotted line, but let’s examine some possible transfers involving foreign players that could take place in the summer.
Osimhen to Chelsea
Victor Osimhen has been one of the top performers in Italy again this season although his club Napoli yielded the Serie A title to Inter Milan in an underwhelming title defence. As a result, the Nigerian star could look to move on to greener pastures. With three games to play, Napoli lies 8th in the division with no chance of playing Champions League football next season – something Osimhen will want to do.
Chelsea are reportedly willing to offer in the region of €90 million, along with marksman Belgian Romelu Lukaku and a young player of Napoli’s choosing, for Victor Osimhen’s signature. The club faces resistance from Paris Saint-Germain in its quest as the French champions seek a suitable replacement for the departing Kylian Mbappe. At the time of writing, gambling sites are offering odds of 3/1 for Osimhen to move to Chelsea and 2/1 for PSG to make the winning offer.
Dumfries & Zirkzee to Man Utd
Further potential incoming foreign players from Serie A are Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries and Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee, with a flailing Man Utd ready to bolster their squad after a sequence of poor results in 2023/24, culminating in the recent 0-4 turnaround against Crystal Palace.
With the writing apparently on the wall for boss Erik Ten Hag and England manager Gareth Southgate touted to take over, a squad clean-out at Old Trafford involving Christian Eriksen, Anthony Martial, Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Casemiro and potentially Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and even Marcus Rashford, means finances will be available for replacements.
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Netherlands international Dumfries is reportedly looking for a move with his Inter contract expiring in 2025, and he would be very interested in joining The Red Devils. His Dutch compatriot, Zirkzee, could be tough to lure from Bologna as his list of suitors is lengthy, with Juventus, AC Milan and Premier League rivals have all shown an interest. Italian reports say Man Utd are “pressing” for the striker’s signature.
Geertruida & Wieffer to Liverpool
With Feyenoord Rotterdam manager Arne Slot sure to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield in the summer, the Liverpool squad will likely undergo some changes. With the club assured of at least a third-place Premier League finish and entry into the Champions League next season, there’s no reason for widescale adjustments, depending on who departs the Merseyside outfit after the transfer window opens.
Feyenoord’s Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida has past Liverpool links, and, with his current manager destined to take the reins from Klopp, the versatile backline player could soon follow. A bid of around €30 million will likely be enough to tempt the Rotterdam club to sell.
Slot’s defensive midfield general at Feyenoord, Mats Wieffer, is another expected to follow his manager to Merseyside, with Liverpool’s defensive midfield being one area needing attention. Slot has suggested Wieffer could become the best player in the world in his position if his rapid improvement continues, so there’s little doubt the Dutch manager will do his utmost to make it happen.
