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With the summer transfer window opening soon, we’re teeing up the wheeling and dealing by presenting 50 high-profile players – excluding free agents – who could be on the move in the coming months. For the first time in several years, Kylian Mbappe, now at Real Madrid, isn’t on the list.

Note: Estimated transfer values provided by transfermarkt.com.

Premier League ?gbeng

Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)

Age: 27
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €65M

Injuries continue to limit Jesus’ impact, while Kai Havertz’s scoring exploits during the stretch run of the Premier League season could make the Brazilian expendable. Unsurprisingly, Arsenal continue to be linked with a new striker.

Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)

Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €70M

The Brazilian has consistently been linked with Arsenal during his Aston Villa tenure, but his strong 2023-24 campaign, in which he helped Unai Emery’s team reach the Champions League, has caught the eye of several other clubs.

Ivan Toney (Brentford)

Age: 28
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €50M

Toney’s chance for a huge move to one of England’s elite clubs may have passed him by; he didn’t exactly tear up the league upon returning from his ban. But there’s always a market for strikers. This summer will be no different.

Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

Age: 24
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €50M

Chelsea’s extravagant spending was always going to coincide with significant departures to help balance the books. The energetic Gallagher, an academy product who would deliver a healthy profit, has multiple suitors in England.

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Age: 31
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €30M

Lukaku clearly has no future at Chelsea. A third consecutive season on loan is a possibility, but both the club and player would likely prefer a permanent move. A reunion with new Napoli coach Antonio Conte could be ideal.

Michael Olise (Crystal Palace)

Age: 22
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €55M

The most prolific season of Olise’s career has the heavyweights on high alert. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United are reportedly all working to sign the silky winger, who looks ready to make the next jump in his career.

Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)

Age: 21
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €42M

Everton are seemingly intent on demanding a king’s ransom for Branthwaite; Manchester United have reportedly been quoted roughly €80 million for the emerging defender. If the Toffees soften their stance, a deal can be struck.

Alisson (Liverpool)

Age: 31
Position: Goalkeeper
Estimated value: €28M

While it looks like the Saudi Pro League will have to wait another year to land Mohamed Salah, another Liverpool stalwart could move to the Middle East much sooner. Alisson, and his compatriot Ederson, for that matter, are targets.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Age: 32
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €50M

De Bruyne, unlike so many of his peers, was open and honest about the financial allure of the Saudi Pro League when asked about a potential transfer. The Belgian superstar could end up being the SPL’s big prize this summer.

Casemiro (Manchester United)

Age: 32
Position: Defensive midfielder
Estimated value: €20M

Casemiro’s physical decline was steep in 2023-24. The Brazilian covered that up with huge goals during his debut campaign in England, but it’s clear that Manchester United need to take the financial hit and sell at a loss here.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Age: 29
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €70M

Fernandes wants to stay put, but he’s also keen on competing for league titles. There’s a disconnect there – United aren’t close right now – and the uncertainty around Erik ten Hag only makes the captain’s situation murkier.

Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

Age: 26
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €60M

It’s going to be a very busy summer at Old Trafford. What once seemed impossible – selling a beloved and productive homegrown product – now looks far more plausible after Rashford’s struggles this past season.

Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)

Age: 24
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €30M

Sancho’s future is directly tied to that of Ten Hag. Their relationship, if you can even call it that, seems irreparable. If the Dutchman avoids the sack, Sancho will almost certainly spend the 2024-25 campaign elsewhere.

Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United)

Age: 26
Position: Defensive midfielder
Estimated value: €85M

Manchester City are closely monitoring Newcastle’s feisty midfielder, whose release clause, worth around £100 million, is reportedly only valid until the end of June. That could expedite any potential move for the Brazilian star.

La Liga ??

Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

Age: 21
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €50M

A dynamic winger who racked up 11 assists in La Liga this past season, Williams is destined for a big move in the very near future. The Spaniard is a progressive ball-carrier who loves to attack the penalty area with speed.

Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)

Age: 24
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €30M

Another transfer window, another opportunity for Felix to reignite a career that is, unfortunately, wandering aimlessly after once looking so promising. Another loan spell at Barcelona is a distinct possibility.

Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)

Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €70M

Barcelona’s ruinous finances should necessitate departures, even if Joan Laporta will never admit it. De Jong, linked with Bayern Munich, would command a sizeable fee were he to leave Catalonia.

Vitor Roque (Barcelona)

Age: 19
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €40M

Roque’s Barcelona career got off to an inauspicious start, with rumblings that former manager Xavi wasn’t a fan of the young Brazilian. Any indication that the situation will remain the same under Hansi Flick could lead to a transfer.

Artem Dovbyk (Girona)

Age: 26
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €30M

Dovbyk, who won the Pichichi Trophy as La Liga’s top scorer, led the line for a Girona side that caught everyone’s attention by securing an unlikely Champions League berth. The Ukrainian will be a hot name this summer.

Aleix Garcia (Girona)

Age: 26
Position: Defensive midfielder
Estimated value: €25M

The Spaniard was a vital part of Girona’s Cinderella campaign, and he’s reportedly one of the top targets for Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, who, unsurprisingly, appreciates his demeanor on the ball and passing range.

Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)

Age: 25
Position: Defensive midfielder
Estimated value: €50M

Getting Zubimendi to leave the Basque region could be the biggest challenge for any interested suitors here. Arsenal are reportedly atop that queue, with Mikel Arteta, a boyhood Sociedad fan, a huge admirer of the midfielder.

Serie A ??

Mike Maignan (AC Milan)

Age: 28
Position: Goalkeeper
Estimated value: €40M

Should Alisson or Ederson – or both – leave their respective clubs this summer, a merry-go-round could materialize between the sticks. Maignan, one of the world’s best goalkeepers, would surely attract serious interest.

Ederson (Atalanta)

Age: 24
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €30M

Other players, particularly attackers, stole the headlines as Atalanta surged to the Europa League title, but all-action midfielder Ederson was vital in keeping everything together and functioning for Gian Piero Gasperini’s team.

Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta)

Age: 26
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €40M

Juventus have reportedly made Koopmeiners their top priority to improve a positional group that’s been ailing for multiple years. Atalanta want a hefty fee for the Dutchman, who offers goals and playmaking ability from midfield.

Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna)

Age: 22
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €25M

Any time an unheralded team exceeds expectations, especially to the degree Bologna just did, there’s inevitably the risk of losing players. Calafiori, the breakout defender in Serie A this past term, fits the modern game perfectly.

Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna)

Age: 23
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €40M

Don’t let his modest scoring figures – 11 goals in 34 league games – fool you. Zirkzee has superstar potential. The former Bayern Munich forward excels in multiple facets of the game. AC Milan, among others, are keeping tabs.

Federico Chiesa (Juventus)

Age: 26
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €40M

With his contract set to expire in 2025, Juventus could look to sell the Italian if talks over an extension aren’t successful. Fellow winger Matias Soule, returning to Turin after shining on loan at Frosinone, is another name to watch.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

Age: 23
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €80M

Napoli are hoping to lock “Kvaradona” down to a new deal, but they’ll need to make a very compelling offer, especially with the indefatigable Georgian being viewed by PSG as someone who could help fill the void left by Mbappe.

Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

Age: 25
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €110M

Osimhen remains one of the most prominent names on this list bi-annual list. He signed a new deal with Napoli in December that includes a mammoth release clause, but that won’t deter striker-needy teams with cash to spare.

Paulo Dybala (Roma)

Age: 30
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €25M

Dybala could reportedly be had for as little as €12 million this summer thanks to a release clause in his Roma contract that expires in July. Though oft-injured, the Argentine playmaker is irresistible when at his best.

Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino)

Age: 24
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €30M

Outspoken Torino president Urbano Cairo will drive a hard bargain in negotiations for Buongiorno. Interested parties, including AC Milan, will need to exercise some patience and persistence to acquire the central defender.

Bundesliga ??

Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)

Age: 23
Position: Wing-back
Estimated value: €50M

Among “defenders” in the Bundesliga in 2023-24, only Leverkusen teammate Alex Grimaldo had more goal contributions than the buccaneering Frimpong, who was a dominant attacking outlet down the right flank for Xabi Alonso.

Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Age: 28
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €30M

Bayern Munich have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Tah over personal terms, though that doesn’t necessarily mean a move will materialize. Leverkusen won’t relinquish their defensive stalwart easily.

Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)

Age: 23
Position: Left-back/winger
Estimated value: €50M

Real Madrid want to sign the Canadian speedster this summer but won’t break the bank. Bayern Munich want to keep him in Bavaria with a new contract offer but won’t wait forever for a decision. Something has to give.

Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Age: 29
Position: Right-back/winger
Estimated value: €50M

Rumors linking Kimmich with Barcelona, and a reunion with former manager Flick, won’t go away. How Barca would fund such a move remains a mystery. Kimmich’s lack of an agent makes any potential negotiations interesting, too.

Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig)

Age: 26
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €50M

Competition to sign Olmo is fierce, and growing, with the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Manchester United all apparently in the mix. The Spaniard, a late bloomer, has become a household name at Leipzig.

Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)

Age: 21
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €50M

Sesko is either at or near the top of the list for every club looking to add scoring punch during the summer window. Arsenal and Milan are tracking the imposing Slovenian, whose release clause is believed to be worth €65 million.

Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart)

Age: 28
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €40M

Only Harry Kane scored more Bundesliga goals than Guirassy in 2023-24. Borussia Dortmund are already in talks to land the Guinean international, who found the net 28 times in league action as the focal point of Stuttgart’s attack.

Ligue 1 ??

Jonathan David (Lille)

Age: 24
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €50M

If it feels like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have. David is a permanent fixture on this list. He’s hit double figures in goals every season since moving to Lille and has 43 Ligue 1 tallies over the past two campaigns.

Leny Yoro (Lille)

Age: 18
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €50M

Not content with plucking just Mbappe from France, Real Madrid are working to sign his compatriot, arguably the most tantalizing young defender in the world. Yoro played more minutes than any outfield player for Lille this season.

Youssouf Fofana (Monaco)

Age: 25
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €30M

Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro has been open about the possibility of selling Fofana in the summer, while the Frenchman himself isn’t hiding his desire to take the next step in his career after a successful spell in the principality.

Xavi Simons (Paris Saint-Germain)

Age: 21
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €80M

One of the most interesting cases to watch right now. Simons is a blossoming superstar that PSG don’t want to lose on a permanent deal, but will the young Dutchman accept another loan move, or push for something more concrete?

Desire Doue (Rennes)

Age: 19
Position: Attacking midfielder/winger
Estimated value: €30M

Exciting teenager Doue continues to come up in discussions about Tottenham’s summer plans. There’s a unique wrinkle here, as his brother, Guela, also plays for the Brittany-based outfit and could move with him.

Around the world ?

Joao Neves (Benfica)

Age: 19
Position: Midfielder
Estimated value: €45M

Benfica, one of the game’s most savvy operators in the transfer market, aren’t messing around here. Any club that wants to sign their midfield sensation will need to activate his €120 million release clause in full, or there’s no deal.

Luis Guilherme (Palmeiras)

Age: 18
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €17M

A late (and lucrative) push from Saudi Arabia threatened to derail their pursuit, but it seems as though West Ham have withstood that and are on the verge of completing a deal worth around €30 million for the Brazilian teenager.

Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven)

Age: 21
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €45M

Bakayoko was one of the standout performers for a PSV side that stormed to the Eredivisie title, and he’s heading to Euro 2024 with Belgium as one of the players who could further boost his transfer fee with a strong tournament.

Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting CP)

Age: 26
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €55M

Former Coventry City marksman Gyokeres has been a scoring machine in Portugal. Sporting have slapped a gargantuan price tag on the Swede, who captured the Portuguese scoring crown in 2023-24 with 29 league tallies.

Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP)

Age: 22
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €40M

Gyokeres isn’t the only jewel flourishing under Ruben Amorim in Lisbon. As a young, left-footed central defender who is supremely comfortable on the ball, Inacio is bound to be the subject of calls from Europe’s biggest teams.

Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland)

Age: 18
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €12M

Keen to forge his own path, Bellingham is reportedly leaning toward staying in England instead of moving abroad like his brother, Jude. Sunderland don’t want to lose him just yet, though, and could demand as much as £20 million.

Savio (Troyes)

Age: 20
Position: Winger
Estimated value: €40M

Manchester City have seemingly used the City Football Group (CFG) umbrella to keep Savio away from any outside parties. Technically on the books of sister club Troyes, he starred at Girona, another CFG-owned side, in 2023-24.

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Kylian Mbappe’s inevitable transfer to Real Madrid is done.

A pursuit that dates back at least seven years – when the French superstar talked to Real Madrid before joining Paris Saint-Germain in a €180-million move – concluded Monday with Mbappe agreeing to sign for the Spanish and European champions on a free transfer.

Mbappe’s five-year contract with Los Blancos begins once his PSG deal expires June 30. The 25-year-old reportedly agreed to personal terms with Madrid in February.

“A dream come true, so happy and proud to join the club of my dreams, Real Madrid,” Mbappe wrote on X alongside pictures of him when he was younger wearing the team jacket and meeting club icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Nobody can understand how excited I am right now.”

(Courtesy: @KMbappe)

Last summer, Mbappe declined an option to extend his PSG contract until June 2025. The attacker was subsequently dropped from a preseason tour to Japan and temporarily trained away from the first-team squad. He was reintroduced to the matchday roster after missing just one league match, and relations between the club and player seemed to improve during the opening months of the 2023-24 campaign.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi stated last July that it’d be “impossible” for Mbappe – arguably the best player in the world – to leave on a free transfer. Later that month, the club reportedly accepted a world-record €300-million offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal for the forward. However, Mbappe didn’t entertain the opportunity, and no other transfers materialized before news of his decision to depart the Parc des Princes for nothing surfaced in February.

French superstar

Mbappe scored 256 goals and assisted 95 times over 308 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and hoarded medals in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the now-defunct Coupe de la Ligue, and the Trophee des Champions. He finished as the top scorer in Ligue 1 six times. The 2023-24 season marked the fifth time in a row that he was named the best player in France’s top flight.

He started his career with Monaco, where he won one Ligue 1 title and helped fire the principality club to the 2016-17 Champions League semifinals, beating Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund along the way.

Mbappe’s club achievements

Mbappe has 46 goals in 77 appearances for France and succeeded Hugo Lloris as captain in March 2023. He scored four times during Les Bleus’ victorious 2018 World Cup run, including once in the final against Croatia. Mbappe finished the 2022 World Cup as top scorer with eight goals, with three of those strikes crammed into a remarkable final as France fell to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a penalty shootout.

Now, after representing his country at Euro 2024, Mbappe will spend most weekends bewitching crowds in Spain.

“It’s hard, and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that, to leave my country, France, Ligue 1, a championship I’ve always known, but I think I needed this, after seven years, a new challenge,” Mbappe said when he confirmed he’d leave PSG on May 10.

The new challenge

The next step in Mbappe’s career comes with one clear objective: winning the Champions League. It was PSG’s No. 1 aim throughout his time in the French capital, but the closest they got was a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

Mbappe didn’t carry the burden of trying to conquer Europe alone. His teammates at PSG included true greats of the game, including Messi, Angel Di Maria, Neymar, and Sergio Ramos. Still, PSG’s lavish spending couldn’t deliver European football’s top prize.

Not only will Mbappe share a dressing room with more huge names at the Bernabeu – he’ll form an intimidating attack with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Endrick – he also joins a club that makes winning the Champions League a habit. Real Madrid overcame RB Leipzig, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in this season’s Champions League knockout rounds before beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in Saturday’s final for their record-extending 15th success in the competition.

In addition to their continental exploits, Real Madrid are the most successful team in Spanish football history with 36 La Liga titles. They clinched the 2023-24 crown with four matches to spare during the first weekend of May.

Mbappe added on Instagram: “Can’t wait to see you, Madridistas, and thanks for your unbelievable support.”

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GENEVA (AP) — Real Madrid winning the Champions League title also was a victory for Shakhtar Donetsk and defeat for Borussia Dortmund also was a loss for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Madrid’s 2-0 win Saturday in the final in London settled the last direct entries into the revamped 36-team Champions League lineup for next season.

UEFA retains an entry for the defending champion but Madrid already secured its place by winning the Spanish league title a month ago.

That entry reverts to the domestic league winner in the qualifying rounds that has the highest ranking based on results in UEFA competitions over five seasons. That is Ukraine Premier League winner Shakhtar, which gets the upgrade and the guaranteed share of Champions League prize money worth tens of millions of euros (dollars).

Dortmund qualified for the Champions League as the fifth-place team in the Bundesliga. Germany got a bonus fifth entry that UEFA now awards to the two countries whose teams performed best across this season’s European competitions. Italy got the other bonus place.

Had Dortmund beaten Madrid in the final, Germany would have got another Champions League entry for its sixth-place Bundesliga team, which was Eintracht.

Eintracht now enters the second-tier Europa League, which it won in 2022.

The 29 direct qualifiers for the next Champions League are now known and seven more places will be confirmed in the qualifying rounds that finish in August.

The new intake includes competition debutants Girona of Spain and Brest of France.

It also includes teams that last played decades ago when the competition was still known as the European Cup.

Aston Villa was the defending European champion when losing in the quarterfinals in 1983.

Bologna’s only European Cup appearance was a quick exit in the preliminary round of the 1964-65 season.

All those teams with little or no recent track record in European competitions will come out of the low-ranked seeding pot when the draw is made Aug. 29 in Monaco.

UEFA scrapped the traditional group stage in favor of a new league phase, under pressure in 2021 from the influential European Club Association whose leaders wanted more games, and a wider ranger of opponents.

The new league phase guarantees each team eight games, instead of six, and eight different opponents, instead of three.

UEFA agreed that format in principle three years ago when the ECA was strongly influenced by Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona who had secretly plotted a breakaway Super League to effectively wreck the Champions League.

Despite the UEFA concessions, those clubs — joined by nine others in Italy, Spain and England — still went ahead to launch a Super League in April 2021 that collapsed within two days. A furious backlash from fans in England and threats of legislation by the British government forced the six English clubs to withdraw.

The four Champions League finals played since April 2021 all were won by Super League clubs — Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City — which tried to break apart the premier European competition that is now 69 years old.

The seven remaining places in the next 36-team lineup will go to five domestic champions who advance through qualifying rounds plus two teams from a separate route for runners-up, third- or fourth-place teams from high-ranking leagues.

Qualifiers could include Galatasaray, Lille, Red Star Belgrade, Salzburg and Young Boys.

Prize money for the 38 teams will be shared from a UEFA fund of about 2.44 billion euros ($2.65 billion) and the eventual champion should earn at least 150 million euros ($163 million). Each team will be guaranteed about 20 million euros ($21.7 million) even if it loses all eight games.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer