Tottenham Dominates Summer Transfer Window as Arsenal and United React
The World Cup is supposed to slow everything down. Not this year. England’s heavyweights are tearing through the summer window as if the calendar doesn’t exist, with Tottenham smashing records, Arsenal testing resolve across Europe and Manchester United already on Plan B – or C.
Spurs go all‑in: Tonali landed, Fernandes unveiled, Kroupi next in sight
Tottenham are behaving like a club that has decided hesitation is no longer an option.
First came Sandro Tonali, prised from Newcastle in a deal worth £100million. A statement in itself: a Champions League-level midfielder, a cornerstone of Eddie Howe’s project, now ripped out and dropped into north London.
Then they did it again.
Spurs have confirmed the £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, a club-record fee for the 21-year-old and their second huge midfield outlay in as many days. Fernandes has signed a six-year contract and arrives as the new centrepiece of Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuild.
De Zerbi has been clear about why he pushed so hard. He has “admired Mateus for a long time”, highlighting the Brazilian’s mix of quality on the ball, intensity and intelligence, his comfort under pressure and his courage to take responsibility in difficult moments. This is a manager who wants his work done before pre-season starts next week, and the club are matching that urgency.
Fernandes echoed that alignment, calling Spurs “a massive club” and pointing to the head coach as a decisive factor in his choice. He spoke of sharing the same vision of going onto the pitch as a strong, aggressive team, playing with fight and energy and trying to win every game. For a fanbase still adjusting to Tottenham’s new, front-foot identity, those words will land well.
And they are not done.
Spurs now want Bournemouth’s 20-year-old forward Eli Junior Kroupi as their next blockbuster arrival. Bournemouth are demanding more than £80m, but Tottenham’s recent behaviour suggests that will not scare them off. Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are also in the race, yet De Zerbi wants his business wrapped up early and the club are pushing.
On top of Kroupi, Spurs are monitoring AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Manchester City winger Savinho. This is no gentle refresh. It is a full-throttle transformation.
Arsenal turn heads: Guimaraes unsettled, Barcola price climbs, Trossard weighs exit
Across north London, Arsenal are working a different angle: targeted disruption.
Bruno Guimaraes has long been the heartbeat of Newcastle’s midfield and the emotional core of their recent rise. Now, the club fear his head may have been turned. Arsenal held initial talks with the Brazilian’s representatives to gauge his situation and followed up with an informal proposal of around £55m.
Newcastle rejected it. That was expected. The concern on Tyneside, according to local reports, is that the pursuit itself has planted a seed. Once a player of Guimaraes’ stature knows a Premier League champion is willing to build around him, the dynamic changes.
Arsenal’s ambition does not stop there.
Bradley Barcola, the gifted France winger at Paris Saint-Germain, has emerged as a serious summer target as Mikel Arteta looks for a left-sided attacker. Morgan Rogers and Christos Tzolis are also on the Gunners’ list, but Barcola is the name that moves the needle.
PSG had been adamant he was not for sale. That stance is softening. Barcola is understood to be reluctant to sign a new deal without more guaranteed minutes next season, and that hesitation has opened the door. Figures in excess of the £116m Manchester City paid for Elliot Anderson are now being talked about as the level required to tempt PSG.
Arsenal have received encouragement that a deal is at least possible and planned to scout Barcola during France’s 3-0 win over Sweden, in which he scored Les Bleus’ second goal. For a club that has carefully built a young, high-ceiling core, the fit is obvious. The price will test their nerve.
At the same time, there is movement on the fringes of Arteta’s squad. Leandro Trossard, once a clever January pick-up from Brighton, now looks expendable as Arsenal aim to upgrade. Besiktas have had a £17m bid accepted, but the Belgian forward has yet to decide whether to go.
Trossard joined Arsenal in 2023 for £20.6m and has delivered 36 goals and 34 assists in 174 games across all competitions. He remains productive and is currently at the World Cup with Belgium, scoring twice in three matches ahead of their round-of-32 tie against Senegal. The decision he makes now will shape the final prime years of his career – stay and fight for minutes at a title contender, or become the focal point somewhere else.
Manchester United miss out and reshuffle: Tchouameni dream, Scott battle, Tonali gone
While Spurs surge and Arsenal probe, Manchester United are adjusting on the fly.
They wanted Mateus Fernandes. He chose Tottenham. They admired Sandro Tonali. He is also heading to Spurs. Those setbacks have forced Michael Carrick and the INEOS hierarchy to move quickly through their shortlist as they prepare for a return to Champions League football.
United are now looking at five midfield options: Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha, Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Fulham’s Sander Berge.
Scott is high on their list. Bournemouth, though, are extremely reluctant to sell and would prefer to extend his contract, which already runs until 2028. They value him at around £80m, a figure that reflects both his importance and the inflation of the current market.
United retain interest in Baleba and Berge as more attainable targets, while Tchouameni is viewed as the dream signing – the kind of all-court midfielder who could transform their engine room. For now, that remains aspirational rather than imminent.
Tonali, for his part, is appreciated at Old Trafford but is in advanced talks with Spurs, underlining again how decisively Tottenham are operating in this window.
PSG and Barcola: a stance softens
Back in Paris, the Barcola situation has become one of the most intriguing subplots of the summer.
Initially, PSG made it clear the France international was not for sale. A young, versatile winger with the ability to stretch defences and drift inside, he looked central to their next phase. Yet his reluctance to sign a new contract without more starts has complicated that picture.
Now, for the right offer, PSG are listening. The benchmark is enormous – above the £116m City paid for Elliot Anderson – but that alone signals how highly Barcola is rated. Arsenal’s interest, combined with the player’s desire for a bigger role, has created a delicate triangle that could define the upper end of this window.
Forest pull the trigger: Pereira out, Glasner in
Away from the transfer frenzy, Nottingham Forest have delivered one of the most ruthless coaching decisions of the summer.
Vitor Pereira, who took charge in February on an 18-month deal, has confirmed he has been sacked and says the decision came as a “complete surprise” and “without any warning”. He guided Forest to Premier League survival and a Europa League semi-final, achievements that would normally buy time and goodwill.
Instead, Forest activated a break clause in his contract in June. Pereira says he was informed the club wanted to go in a different direction just two minutes before that clause expired. In his parting statement, he thanked everyone connected with the club, accepted their right to make decisions for their future, but admitted to feeling disappointed and saddened, while retaining pride in what had been achieved.
Oliver Glasner is expected to take over after leaving Crystal Palace, a move that will jolt both clubs and underline again how quickly managerial landscapes can shift in the Premier League.
Barcelona eye Saliba in audacious defensive raid
Even in a market awash with big numbers, some stories still jolt the senses.
Barcelona are reportedly weighing up a move for Arsenal centre-back William Saliba, who has become one of the most coveted defenders in Europe. The Frenchman is high on Barça’s defensive shortlist, but the deal would be extraordinarily difficult.
Arsenal would only consider selling for a world-record fee for a defender, with reports suggesting an offer in the region of £130m would be needed to even start a conversation. In other words: if Barcelona want Saliba, they will have to reshape their entire summer around him.
Juventus look to Brobbey after Kolo Muani struggles
In Italy, Juventus are reworking their attacking options.
Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey, fresh from an impressive World Cup with the Netherlands, has emerged as a serious option. At 24, he is being considered as an alternative to Randal Kolo Muani, who remains Juve’s first-choice target.
Kolo Muani is surplus to requirements at Paris Saint-Germain after a miserable loan spell at Tottenham last season and has previously spent time on loan at Juventus. Even so, the club are sensibly lining up Brobbey as a parallel route should negotiations for Kolo Muani stall again.
The World Cup continues, the fixtures pile up, and yet the market barely pauses for breath. Tottenham are tearing up their own limits, Arsenal are testing the loyalty of stars elsewhere, and Manchester United are scrambling to keep pace. With prices soaring and patience in short supply, how many more clubs will decide that this is the summer to gamble everything?
