Transfer Tracker: Six sensational midfielders Prem bound as Liverpool strike gold and Man Utd sign perfect Mainoo foil

It’s expected to be another incredibly busy summer of Premier League transfers, so TEAMtalk has matched-up six outstanding midfielders with six clubs in need of adding another player to their engine room during the off-season.

In our last Transfer Tracker feature we looked at top-flight clubs who are in the market for a new central striker, but now that focus switches to the midfield.

Winning the midfield battle in the Premier League is quite often the best way to all three points, as we’ve seen with title-chasing pair Arsenal and Manchester City for much of the campaign.

Both sides boast strong engine rooms with a mix of power, precision passing and the ability to completely dictate games at the tempo they want.

But despite that, both those clubs are in the market to strengthen that area of their team, along with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham – while Newcastle will also likely need to offset the loss of a key man by bringing in another top-class performer.

To that end, TT looks at six midfield talents who have been linked with moves to the above-named clubs and analysed where and how they fit into those teams…

ARSENAL

Mikel Arteta’s midfield has been one of the most dominant and least injury-prone of the whole campaign but they say you should always look to build on a strength, and it appears that’s exactly what Arsenal intend to do.

The Gunners spent more than £100million to bring in Declan Rice last summer and the former West Ham skipper has proved to be a tremendous addition. However, Arteta views the England man as a box-to-box player, as evidenced by his seven goals this season, rather than the holding midfielder he was at the London Stadium.

To that end, Arteta has used Jorginho and Thomas Partey to play in the deeper roles this season.

However, while Jorginho is set to stay for another season, at 32 he is not the future of the position. Partey, meanwhile, has been heavily tipped to move on this summer.

That leaves the door wide open for a new defensive midfielder to walk in and partner Rice and Martin Odegaard is what could be one the best midfields in European football – if Arteta gets the right man.

Step forward Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, who is being heavily tipped for a move to The Emirates this summer.

The 25-year-old has the perfect profile to step right in and be a success under Arteta, having enjoyed a tremendous season for a Sociedad side pushing for a top-six finish in Spain.

Zubimendi’s playing style has been compared to that of Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets, while he is just as strong in possession as he is out of it with his positional play outstanding.

In terms of cost, Arsenal are looking at having to pay €60million (£52m), which is Zubimend’s release clause and is a potential bargain in today’s inflated market.

DEEP DIVE: The key contract details of every Man City first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

MAN CITY

On the face of it, City do not exactly look as if they need another central midfielder – especially given Pep Guardiola’s love of playing centre-backs in his engine room alongside mainstay Rodri.

However, continued links to Brazilian duo Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes refuse to go away as the weeks count down to when the summer transfer window opens.

City tried to sign West Ham star Paqueta last summer but ended up bringing in Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes from Chelsea and Wolves instead.

But with creative duo Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva still being tipped to potentially move on, Guardiola might just have to Pep up that area of his team again.

And although Paqueta does look a good fit, Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes is our main focus of attention for this feature.

Kovacic has done a solid job when called upon this season, while Nunes has only featured in 17 Premier League outings and has perhaps not had the impact he would have hoped in his debut season.

With that in mind, Guimaraes is the perfect fit to take on that role formally held by Ilkay Gundogan at The Etihad.

The 26-year-old has scored six goals and added eight assists in 48 appearances in all competitions, although links to Arsenal as well are sure to make him one of the top summer transfer targets across Europe.

Guimaraes certainly won’t come cheap either, with a £100m price tag on his head. But, let’s face it, City don’t really need to upgrade any other areas of their team so only signing the Newcastle man would still make them much stronger – assuming that De Bruyne and Silva don’t both leave.

LIVERPOOL

Jurgen Klopp’s team have scrambled their way through the season with a mix of Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister playing in the defensive midfield role, having opted to part company with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson last summer.

But to get the best out of Mac Allister, the Reds need to sign a dominant midfield partner for the Argentine after being found wanting on countless occasions this season in what used to be a massive strength of Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Endo has done a solid job as the season has gone on but at 31, he is not the future of the club and a younger addition needs to be made.

The mystery remains who, given that Liverpool will be in transition this summer when Arne Slot is expectedly hired as Klopp’s replacement.

However, Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners appears to be the name on everyone’s lips when it comes to potential midfield additions on Merseyside.

The Netherlands international can play as a holding midfielder or further forward and has remarkable stats this season. Indeed, the 26-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided seven assists from his role in the middle of Atalanta’s engine room.

Adding those sort of stats with the ability to break up play and be quick in transition makes Koopmeiners a dream signing for the Reds.

Indeed, TEAMtalk reported on Monday that Liverpool have taken their first steps to making the signing happen, with Slot known to be a big fan of the player.

Koopmeiners is also expected to cost in the region of €60million (£52m), which is perfectly within Liverpool’s reach.

DON’T MISS: Five Tottenham players who could be axed by Postecoglou as part of summer squad revamp

TOTTENHAM

The fact that Ange Postecoglou has changed his central midfield combinations so much in the second half of the season sends a clear message that he has not figured out the best combination or, more likely, that he does not have the type of central midfielder already at his disposal that can dominant games.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr started the season sensationally as Tottenham looked genuine title contenders but the form of both nosedived after the African Cup of Nations while the more trusted, but not as tuned in to how Postecoglou wants to play, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be saying his goodbyes this summer.

Rodrigo Bentancur remains a class act but it’s concerning that he has not looked the same player since his ACL injury in 2023.

So what exactly do Spurs need to bring some more controlled chaos to ‘Ange Ball’? They need a much stronger player to protect what on paper looks a quality backline, although that might need Postecoglou to tweak his tactics a little.

The Aussie does not particularly like playing an out-and-out defensive midfielder, but 59 goals conceded in 36 games this season shows how easy it is to get at the Tottenham defence.

Step forward Atalanta star Ederson, who we’ve mentioned plenty of times before – but that’s with good cause. He’s perfect for how Postecoglou wants his midfield to play, on the front foot and looking to dominate.

The Brazilian is not a traditional holding midfielder but is more than capable of playing that role. The 24-year-old is more of a box-to-box No.8 but has the power, energy, passing range and skills to take over games – something Spurs do not currently have.

His bargain €35million asking price will also allow Postecoglou to fix other areas of his team, most notably bringing in a new No.9.

Tottenham will have to act quickly this summer though, with Ederson also linked with the likes of Newcastle and, more latterly, Manchester United.

MAN UTD

And it’s United we focus on next and a squad that could be ripped apart by Sir Jim Ratcliffe following a disastrous campaign, FA Cup win or not.

The Red Devils have so many glaring needs it’s hard to think where they start but central midfield is most definitely one of them.

Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek (we won’t go there!) could all be on their way this summer while Mason Mount has really struggled to have any impact at the club and loanee Sofyan Armrabat will head back to Fiorentina this summer.

The one bright spot has been outstanding youngster Kobbie Mainoo, so finding the right partner for him will be a critical part of Ratcliffe’s job this summer.

Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong has continually been linked with a move to Old Trafford but Erik ten Hag’s likely exit will almost certainly end that discussion, while Joshua Kimmich and Everton star Amadou Onana are names that continue to get thrown around.

However, adding a player, in Onana, from a team that has battled down at the wrong end of the table for much of the season is hardly the statement signing Ratcliffe should be making, while Kimmich looks increasingly likely to stay at Bayern Munich.

To that end, the name of Joao Neves is one that refuses to go away.

The Benfica star is a true holding midfielder who, despite his 5ft 9in frame, is capable of dictating games from the middle of the park and is outstanding at breaking up opposition attacks.

Ratcliffe is known to be an admirer of a player who has already made 71 senior appearances for Benfica despite only being 19 years of age.

Pairing him alongside fellow 19-year-old Mainoo would give United their midfield engine room for the next 5-10 years, with Bruno Fernandes remaining the experienced head in the No.10 role in front of them.

Neves will not come cheap though, with some reporting suggesting United may have to pay out as much as £103m to land his signature.

READ MORE: Where are they now? The Man Utd squad who last missed out on a Premier League top-six finish

NEWCASTLE

Eddie Howe’s biggest issue this summer will be keeping hold of the club’s top players, although it appears more and more likely that Manchester City and Arsenal target Bruno Guimaraes could move on to keep the Magpies the right side of PSR.

Newcastle are ready to demand £100m for the Brazilian standout, with City -as explained further up – the better fit for Guimaraes

Replacing him will no doubt be difficult, but there are plenty of quality options out there and then one we think makes the most sense is Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

The attacking midfielder has been one of the shining lights in Forest’s battle to beat the drop, scoring six goals and providing 10 assists – stats that are very similar to what Guimaraes has delivered this season, albeit with Gibbs-White playing in a team that do not score that many goals.

Newcastle will face a battle with Tottenham for the midfielder though, with Forest reportedly upping their asking price to £60m for the 24-year-old.

While that sort of figure seems high for a player who has battled against relegation for much of the season, Gibbs-White would be a quality addition to Howe’s first XI  especially if the club do recoup their asking price for Guimaraes.