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Alvarez, Fernandez and Barcola: 10 transfer sagas racing against time
28 Aug 2026 09:01 CDT |
6 min read
Analysis
The summer transfer window closes on Tuesday 1 September and, at the moment, clubs around Europe are scrambling to try and get players through the door.
Vast sums have already been spent on players, with four deals already exceeding the €100 million mark, and more are expected before next week.
Here are 10 deals that face a race against time for completion.
Julian Alvarez - Atletico Madrid to Arsenal/Barcelona
This has become the saga of the summer in the transfer market.
Barcelona have had their eye on Julian Alvarez for a while as he was viewed as the ideal replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who departed this summer for Major League Soccer.
Current ETV
Julián Alvarez
F (C)
Atlético Madrid
Julián Alvarez
F (C)
Atlético Madrid
ETV Range
€84M - €102.7M
However, the relationship between Atletico Madrid and Barca is at an all-time low due to the Blaugrana's extremely public pursuit of the player, which has been deemed as disrespectful by Atleti. Social media barbs between the clubs have been frequent, while the player himself was booed by the fans at the Wanda Metropolitano during the first game of the season.
With the capital club highly unlikely to sanction a sale to Barcelona, the door is still open for the Argentine to complete a blockbuster move to Arsenal, but they'll need to pay around €150m to land their man.
Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea to Man City
It is looking increasingly likely that Enzo Fernandez will depart Chelsea for Manchester City this summer as he is keen on a reunion with former Blues manager Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
Fernandez campaigned for a dream switch to Real Madrid a month or two back but Los Blancos baulked at Chelsea's €140m asking price so those negotiations didn't progress too far.
Man City are in the middle of a midfield rebuild after the departures of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders and so far have splurged well over €200m on Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Fernandez is, apparently, the last piece of that midfield puzzle.
Bradley Barcola - PSG to Liverpool
Liverpool's desperate attempts to find a replacement for right-winger Mohamed Salah have led them to spending what will likely be a club-record fee to sign left-winger Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.
The squad at Anfield is badly disjointed and the €140m being used to sign the Frenchman could perhaps have been spent on other areas, but the deal is happening as long as the paperwork can be completed over the weekend.
It seems like PSG and Liverpool have been in talks forever, but a major breakthrough happened on Thursday as the fee was finally agreed.
Cody Gakpo - Liverpool to Man City/Tottenham
With Barcola set to arrive, Liverpool would be willing to let Cody Gakpo leave if a club matches their €75m valuation of the player.
Both Man City and Tottenham have made their interest known over the last week or two, but any exit is entirely dependent on whether Liverpool can get Barcola over the line.
When asked by reporters to comment on Gakpo's future, manager Andoni Iraola said:
"When the market is open you cannot guarantee anything with anyone. When I arrived I would like to know how the market finishes and then when you finish with this one and this one but I don't know what is going to happen with any of our players. I cannot guarantee anything. You think I can smell who we are going to sign or what position but experience shows you that, if there is an opportunity on the last day, let's take it."
Alex Scott - Bournemouth to Chelsea
Should Fernandez leave for Man City, Chelsea will need to find a top-class replacement for one of their squad captains.
Reece James has been used twice in a row in midfield by Xabi Alonso but it is unclear whether that will be a permanent tactic by the Spaniard, while Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson are available for midfield roles, too.
Even if Chelsea now play with four men across the middle instead of three central midfielders, they are still looking at replacing Fernandez and their dream acquisition would be Alex Scott from Bournemouth.
However, they would need to pay €105m to land the Englishman, with Liverpool also interested in him.
Rafael Leao - Milan to Aston Villa/Galatasaray
Rafael Leao's stock has steadily fallen over the past year and so has his price tag.
At one point, he was linked with Europe's elite, with clubs being quoted €100m for a transfer but the level of suitors and the value have plummeted.
Now, Milan are willing to accept an exit for €44m and the Portuguese winger has to decide between Aston Villa and Galatasaray before Tuesday.
The Turkish side may have the edge as reports have suggested he could make as much as €12m a year should he sign for Gala.
Jack Grealish - Man City to Sunderland/Everton
Sunderland and Everton are both interested in Jack Grealish, with the Manchester City winger’s future still uncertain.
Sunderland are exploring a loan move and can offer Europa League football, while Everton are keen to bring him back after his successful loan spell last season, when he recorded two goals and six assists in 22 appearances.
Everton may have the advantage because Grealish already knows the club and reportedly prefers a return to Goodison Park. However, Sunderland could offer him a fresh challenge and European football.
The Black Cats would be interested in signing him permanently once his Man City contract expires next summer, too.
A left-back to Man Utd
Manchester United have left it until the final few days of the transfer window to sign a left-back and are now scrambling to get a deal over the line.
They have been linked with a number of left-backs, including Lewis Hall, Alejandro Balde, Joaquin Seys, Myles Lewis-Skelly and David Raum.
Hall would be the ideal signing in the eyes of the club but it is highly unlikely that Newcastle will sell another prize asset in this window after allowing Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali to leave for Arsenal, Barcelona and Tottenham, respectively.
A centre-forward to Barcelona
With a swoop for Alvarez now seemingly off the table for Barcelona, they still need to find a replacement for Lewandowski for numbers if nothing else as they currently have no out-and-out number nine after Ferran Torres also left.
Anthony Gordon, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha can all fill in there, of course, due to Hansi Flick's rotation system but the German head coach still wants a striker.
The two most recent names that have been linked with the Catalan side are Nicolo Tresoldi of Club Brugge and Georges Mikautadze of Villarreal.
The former would cost €40m, while the latter would cost €60m as Villarreal only signed him a year ago.
A right-winger to Liverpool
If Barcola arrives and Gakpo stays, Liverpool will have four players who can naturally slot in down the left wing, if you include Rio Ngumoha and summer signing Victor Munoz, while only one who is natural on the right in Federico Chiesa.
It seems crazy that Liverpool have waited so long to find a natural replacement for Salah but they will either need to get a deal done out of nowhere before Tuesday, or someone will have to be shifted out of position to play on the right.
They have pursued deals for Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace and Yankuba Minteh of Brighton but initial offers have been knocked back.
Liverpool remain interested in PSG's Ibrahim Mbaye, too.
