We're into the final days of the summer transfer window and that is likely to see a spike in activity as teams, players and agents all get ready for a hectic dash to the finish line.
The window will officially close at 11pm on Friday night and after that squads will be locked in until January, so any out-of-favour players will be desperate to ensure they resolve their future this week.
FourFourTwo have taken a look at five players that will be looking to resolve murky club situations over the coming days and give themselves the opportunity to start afresh at a new club.
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Raheem Sterling
I’ll be honest, I could save myself a job and just start listing Chelsea players for this piece and then head off to go and enjoy the Bank Holiday rain. There are plenty of experienced players at Stamford Bridge that could do with a change of scenery, but Raheem Sterling feels like the most pressing.
Still in his 20s, a fit and firing Sterling who is looking to win back his England place would be an attractive proposition for plenty of Premier League sides, with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace two teams to be recently linked, although his eye-watering £325,000-a-week wage packet could be a stumbling block.
Elsewhere at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, you’ll see the likes of Ben Chillwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Romelu Lukaku all training with the kids while their agents look for an exit route.
Aaron Ramsdale
At the age of 26, now is not the time for Aaron Ramsdale to start getting used to life as a back-up goalkeeper. Assuming the Arsenal goalkeeper’s ambitions extend past being the next Stuart Taylor, he needs to move before Friday in order to avoid another five months of warming the bench behind David Raya at the Emirates.
The likes of Wolves and Southampton have been linked with the England stopper and those would both be decent landing spots for the former Sheffield United man to get his club career back on track and regain his confidence.
Jadon Sancho
While Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag appear to have reached a truce following last season’s falling out, it’s hard to argue that the England winger looks to have a bright future ahead of him at Old Trafford.
Manchester United could do with bringing in funds after their £140million spending spree so far this summer that has seen four new players arrive, but would have to swallow a sizable loss on the £73million they paid Dortmund for the 24-year-old’s services back in 2021.
Sancho’s bright loan spell back at Dortmund last season will have helped remind suitors what he is capable of, but his £250,000-a-week wage packet is another obstacle that will need to be overcome before the close of play on Friday evening if he is to get a move.
Ivan Toney
Earlier this year Ivan Toney told the world he expected to leave Brentford this summer and the club have signed his replacement, so how come the England striker hasn’t got his move yet?
There are a few reasons for that, as FourFourTwo outlined here, but with Toney now in the final year of his contract, the club need to sell him this week to avoid a cut-price January sale or watching him walk away for nothing next summer.
That said, after seeing £32million club record signing Igor Thiago suffer a meniscus injury in a pre-season friendly last month that will rule him out for the rest of 2024, the Bees may be in a position where they need to turn down any more advances from Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli.
Giovani Lo Celso
Given just how poorly his Spurs career has gone in recent years, it’s easy to forget how good a player Giovani Lo Celso can be. Despite struggling with injuries and failing to break into the Spurs starting XI at a time when the club’s depth was not at its greatest, Lo Celso came off the bench in the Copa America final last month to conjure up the assist for the goal that saw Argentina win the tournament.
His Spurs career has been a frustrating stop-start affair, but with Spurs have brought in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall this summer and James Maddison the undisputed selection at No 10, the time is right for the 28-year-old to move on.
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