Six Transfer Sagas to Watch on Deadline Day

Weeks and months of transfer market toil come to an end for Europe’s premier divisions on Tuesday, as Deadline Day signals the conclusion of the summer window.

Once again, the Premier League has been the dominant force, but the continent’s heavyweights, particularly Real Madrid, have also thrown their weight around in the market.

And while the deadline is fast approaching, there’s still room for chaos and irrationality to come to the fore. Clubs will make last-ditch efforts to hone their rosters for the season ahead, and there are plenty of players desperate for resolutions.

This summer certainly hasn’t been without your classic transfer saga, and uncertainty still clouds some high-profile situations heading into the final day of the window.

Here are six transfer sagas to watch out for on Deadline Day.

Julián Alvarez to Arsenal

Julián Alvarez’s public plea to fulfil his “dream” of playing for Barcelona fell on deaf ears in the Spanish capital. Atlético Madrid have insisted all summer long that they will not sell to their domestic rivals, who left a $135 million bid on the table in mid-July.

Barça have waited and waited, hoping for Atléti to budge. Alvarez has tried to sway his employers, but they’ve refused to soften their stance.

The Argentine was greeted with great hostility upon his return to the Metropolitano, and it seemed as if there was simply no chance Alvarez could continue with Los Rojiblancos. Atléti are happy to deal with Arsenal for the right price, but the Gunners haven’t been able to convince Alvarez to give up on Barcelona.

Barça have pivoted, striking a deal for Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus for a small fee, and the Gunners themselves may make a move for Lyon starlet Malick Fofana.

Alvarez has some making up to do to the Atléti faithful.

Man City & Tottenham’s Winger Pursuits

Tottenham Hotspur reacted to their opening weekend defeat at Brentford by hastening their pursuit of Omar Marmoush, and it seemed as if their 2–0 loss to Newcastle United had sparked them into life again.

Spurs reached an agreement with Iliman Ndiaye on Sunday morning, and were hopeful of handing Richarlison back to the Toffees. The two deals were initially believed to be separate, but recent developments would suggest they’re very much linked.

The Toffees have struggled to agree on personal terms with their former striker, hindering Spurs‘ Ndiaye pursuit. And so, with Cody Gakpo staying at Liverpool, Manchester City are turning their attention to the Everton winger.

With Ndiaye seemingly City bound, Spurs are moving on. Roberto De Zerbi wants to add one more forward to his depth chart, and it looks like he may be reuniting with Mykhailo Mudryk, whom he coached during his breakthrough at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Enzo Fernández to Man City

This one has been in the offing all summer. Enzo Fernández flirted with the idea of leaving Chelsea while Liam Rosenior was at the helm, but it was then thought that Real Madrid could come in for the Argentine.

Madrid looked elsewhere, and Man City have been Fernández’s most likely destination for a little while. The Cityzens are ready to complete their expensive midfield rebuild with the $162 million purchase of the former Benfica man.

Bernardo Silva and Rodri have been lost to both sides of the Clásico divide in Spain, while Tijjani Reijnders was sold for a profit to Saudi Arabia despite an indifferent sole season at the Etihad Stadium. City first broke the British transfer record to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, and recently completed the $117 million signing of Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Fernández is seemingly the missing piece, having been successfully converted into a box-crashing midfielder by Pep Guardiola’s successor, Enzo Maresca, at Stamford Bridge.

Ismaïla Sarr to Liverpool

Liverpool have curiously stockpiled a bunch of wide players who prefer to play off the left, including Bradley Barcola, who became the club’s second-most expensive transfer on the penultimate day of the window.

Andoni Iraola cherishes versatility in his wide players, and it seems as if he’ll aim to mitigate Mohamed Salah’s void through a variety of solutions, rather than one star.

However, Liverpool have been in the market for a right-sided forward during the back end of the window. They were first pushed back by Brighton & Hove Albion for Yankuba Minteh, and are now struggling to convert their Ismaïla Sarr interest into a signature.

Sarr wants the move, but Palace are holding firm. Liverpool have so far had two bids rejected, and news of Gakpo’s stay suggests the club aren’t particularly confident about getting a deal done.

Joshua Zirkzee’s Man Utd Future

Joshua Zirkzee’s aesthetic Bologna spell smittened plenty of calcio romantacists, but the Dutchman has struggled to make a name for himself in the Premier League.

His Manchester United career has ultimately been forgettable. He’s struggled for rhythm and thus form throughout, and it‘s seemed likely all summer that he’ll return to Serie A.

Zirkzee has turned down a loan switch to Fiorentina, who have been busy in the market and are in need of a Moise Kean replacement. The former Bayern Munich starlet prefers a move to Juventus, but the Bianconeri’s interest in Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade has thrust their Zirkzee pursuit into doubt.

Juve have allowed Jonathan David to join Atlético Madrid and are now prioritising a move for Woltemade, who doesn’t seem to be a part of Matthias Jaissle’s plans on Tyneside.

With minutes likely to be hard to come by at Old Trafford, Zirkzee may have to reconsider Fiorentina’s proposal.

Jack Grealish to Everton

Everton are assuming that Ndiaye will depart on Deadline Day, and they’re hoping to bring back Jack Grealish.

Grealish, a key contributor during Man City’s 2022–23 treble-winning campaign, lost the faith of Pep Guardiola and played a bit-part role before heading to the Toffees on loan last summer. It seemed like a match made in heaven, and the winger started brightly. However, Grealish suffered a foot injury in January, which ended his season prematurely.

Thus, there‘s a sense of unfinished business for the 30-year-old on Merseyside. Another loan is being negotiated, separate to the Ndiaye deal, with Grealish prioritising Everton over other interested parties.

Former club Aston Villa and Sunderland had also been linked.

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