Every Premier League club’s dream signing
Who’s the dream signing for every Premier League club? We’re all over it.
From Rodrygo heading to Arsenal to Alexander Isak eyeing Liverpool, these potential transfers might sound ambitious — but they’re far from impossible.
Arsenal: Rodrygo
‘Dream’ signings should really involve players not already trying to force through a move, which rules out Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, for example. That makes the signing of an elite left-winger the dreamiest of scenarios, and Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo is our pick over Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams.
Rodrygo was an unused substitute in Madrid’s Club World Cup last-16 win over Juventus, making it one start out of a possible four and just 88 minutes played in the United States. This saga should rumble on into the closing weeks of the transfer window, but Arsenal are there and ready to pounce for a genuinely outstanding forward. Rodrygo can take this lot to the next level.
READ: FAO Arsenal and Liverpool: the biggest signings take longer because of secret clauses and Zaha
Aston Villa: Rafael Leao
A slight downgrade on Rodrygo – but still a fantastic and dangerous winger – Leao looks increasingly likely to leave AC Milan this summer. With Chelsea signing Jamie Gittens, and Arsenal and Liverpool targeting other options, the Portuguese international might just settle on a slightly less ambitious move to Aston Villa.
The Villans are hardly lacking ambition themselves and could feasibly qualify for the Champions League in 2025/26 after narrowly missing out last season. That, combined with the lure of the Premier League, could tempt Leao into making the surprise switch to Villa Park.
Bournemouth: Jorrel Hato
We wanted to somehow include Ajax wonderkid Hato joining a non-Big Six club. He’s wanted by Europe’s elite, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in the picture.
Bournemouth are absolutely not in the picture, but that’s not to say it’s a completely unrealistic transfer. Hato could view the Cherries as a perfect stepping stone to the really big time. Dean Huijsen says hello. Milos Kerkez says hey. Illia Zabarnyi also says hi, amidst interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
Andoni Iraola is a superb manager for any young, ambitious player and is desperate for a new centre-back after selling Huijsen to Real Madrid. Furthermore, Hato can play right or left-back, and Iraola has just lost Milos Kerkez – albeit he has signed a replacement in Adrien Truffert – while an ancient Adam Smith remains his first-choice right-back.
Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo
He’s better than anyone they could get, and that’s the bottom line. Mbeumo scored 20 Premier League goals last season; only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak scored more.
Mbeumo is wanted by Manchester United, but there’s no agreement between the two clubs. The Cameroonian winger isn’t causing a fuss and is open to staying at Brentford if a deal can’t be struck, with the Red Devils already failing with two bids. He’s probably playing the long game, knowing he can leave for less next summer or for nothing in 2027, with a tasty signing-on bonus and salary.
Brighton: Harvey Elliott
Elliott to Brighton felt pretty realistic but all of a sudden, it would be a major coup for Fabian Hurzeler’s side. There are Champions League clubs in the mix after an immense Under-21 European Championship-winning campaign with England.
He just feels very Brighton, doesn’t he? And £40m would be a very good deal for everyone involved. With a buy-back clause, obviously.
Burnley: Bilal El Khannouss
Burnley will forever be the most awkward team in our ‘one per club’ features. That’s painfully obvious once again, with El Khannouss deemed the best and most ambitious signing they could realistically make this summer.
Would signing El Khannouss from Leicester be a dream come true for Burnley? Well…no. But what would feasibly be a ‘dream signing’ for the Clarets that could actually happen? We’re hardly going to say Lionel Messi or Neymar. Their fans would probably be beside themselves with the signing of Lewis Cook, to be honest.
Chelsea: Marc Guehi
The Blues have finally strengthened up front, signing Liam Delap for £30million and agreeing a deal for Brighton’s Joao Pedro. So, looking at their strongest XI, a central defender is clearly the next priority.
Enter Guehi. We initially focused on a left-footed centre-back, overlooking the fact that Levi Colwill exists, and went with Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni. But Guehi and Colwill would make a more natural defensive partnership.
Chelsea sold Guehi to Crystal Palace for £18m in July 2021 and have been linked with him quite a bit since then, the fools that they are. This would be a hilariously typical Blues signing but a fantastic one that would massively benefit them and England.
Crystal Palace: Ousmane Diomande
This one is actually on. On like Donkey Kong.
Oliver Glasner wants a new centre-back with Marc Guehi attracting serious interest, and Sporting’s Diomande is right at the top of his wish-list. We like it. We like it a lot.
A dominant presence with pace, power and a ridiculous ceiling, Diomande would be a statement signing.
Everton: Mohammed Kudus
Extending Jarrad Branthwaite’s contract is huge for Everton, who have a pretty settled centre-back partnership in the 23-year-old and James Tarkowski. A couple of full-backs wouldn’t go amiss, but hardly ‘dreamy’. David Moyes could also do with a new defensive midfielder, but we reckon an X-factor on the right wing would make the biggest difference, especially with Villarreal striker Thierno Barry set to join and Iliman Ndiaye leading the Toffees’ attack in 2024/25.
Picking between Mohammed Kudus, Johan Bakayoko and Antonio Nusa was tough. Ultimately, we went for Kudus, who might have to swallow his pride to agree a move from West Ham to Everton.
He’s been linked with Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, but it’s unclear how keen those big boys really are after a season with just five goals and three assists in the Premier League. For the Toffees, though, playing under his former manager Moyes, Kudus could thrive and help the club kick off their new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in style.
Fulham: Ivan Toney
Willian was tempting, you know, for s**ts and giggles, but Toney to Fulham feels just realistic and ambitious enough to qualify as a ‘dream signing’.
Toney might have been disappointed to end up at Saudi club Al Ahly last summer, but his bank account certainly wasn’t. That said, he could easily follow the growing trend of players ditching the Saudi Pro League after a year – or six months in Jhon Duran’s case.
The obvious stumbling block is his current salary, which no Premier League club will match. But if Toney’s willing to take a modest pay cut, he could do a lot worse than Fulham…and Fulham would struggle to do much better than Toney.
Leeds United: Christian Pulisic
Signing Christian Pulisic would be a real statement from Leeds’ new American owners.
The Whites need a Raphinha-style forward to help them survive in the Premier League and avoid the fate of the last six promoted clubs. They’re well equipped to stay up, but only if their summer recruitment hits the mark.
A Raphinha return would be ridiculous to suggest, but splashing the cash to bring Pulisic back to England after an inconsistent Chelsea spell would be a transfer masterstroke. Crucially, it’s not completely out of the question.
‘The LeBron James of Soccer’ has 55 goal involvements in two seasons for AC Milan and boasts an impressive international record with 33 goals in 78 caps.
Liverpool: Alexander Isak
This transfer is unrealistic, mainly because of Newcastle United’s eye-watering asking price. But there is an asking price. If Liverpool decide Isak is worth £130m, they’ll get him. Simple as that.
The Reds have already smashed their record transfer fee this summer with Florian Wirtz, and after being stingy in recent windows, they’re clearly ready to spend big now, especially after realising they’ve replaced Jurgen Klopp with an elite, title-winning head coach.
Having already signed an attacking midfielder, right-back, and left-back, Liverpool’s priority is now moving on Darwin Nunez and bringing in a ready-made replacement. Interest in Isak is genuine (and terrifying) for Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and most of all Newcastle, who are understandably reluctant to lose a player who’s scored 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances.
But when money talks, £130m+ will be impossible to turn down.
MORE: Isak, Newcastle know what happens when clubs ‘break’, ‘bend’, ‘smash’, ‘dismantle’ or ‘rip up’ wage structure
Manchester City: Gianluigi Donnarumma
A new goalkeeper feels like the next natural upgrade for City. Ederson’s reliability has dipped, and while Donnarumma isn’t quite as comfortable with the ball at his feet, he’d be a fantastic replacement.
The Italian is expected to extend his PSG contract, but as it stands, his deal runs out in 2026, and Pep Guardiola is keeping an eye on things.
Ederson continues to attract interest from Saudi Arabia and fittingly made a howler in a Club World Cup win over Juventus just hours after insisting he wanted to stay. It might not be your call, fella.
Donnarumma is the best possible replacement. He’s only 26, a Champions League-winning goalkeeper, and already a veteran. Every other Premier League club will be hoping City don’t pull this off.
Manchester United: Viktor Gyokeres
This one hinges on an extremely ambitious (or unrealistic) hijack of Arsenal’s pursuit of Gyokeres or the Gunners deciding to move on and go full Sesko instead.
After scoring 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season, Gyokeres is a wanted man. United’s interest seems doomed to failure as the striker waits for Arsenal to pull the trigger, but with his old boss Ruben Amorim now at Old Trafford, there’s just enough hope to keep the delusion alive.
United are desperate for an actual goalscorer. Rasmus Hojlund clearly isn’t that. And nobody knows what Joshua Zirkzee even is.
United would undoubtedly find a way to United all over Gyokeres’ output, but even if he bags half of last season’s total, he’d still be a colossal upgrade on what Amorim currently has to work with.
Newcastle United: Raphinha
Since leaving Leeds United in 2022, Raphinha has been furiously linked with a move away from Barcelona. Arsenal and Chelsea have been mentioned plenty, but Newcastle are very much in the picture. As are Manchester United; but only for clicks.
Raphinha has been in Ballon d’Or form for Barca but won’t be thrilled watching his bosses chase Nico Williams and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz. Competition’s healthy, sure, but the 28-year-old will be wondering why they’re bothering after him and Lamine Yamal combined for 102 goal involvements in 2024/25.
With Barca targeting a left-winger, Raphinha could be on the move. Newcastle desperately need a right-winger, and the Brazilian would be a genuinely sensational signing, even if he turns 29 this December and would cost a fortune.
It’s about time these rich f**kers went out and signed a world-class, world-renowned superstar. We’ve been waiting since the day they were bought by PIF.
Nottingham Forest: Dusan Vlahovic
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are the surprise frontrunners for Vlahovic’s signature, with Juventus reportedly open to selling him for around £40m.
That would have been incomprehensible this time last year – but with Forest heading for Europe and Vlahovic struggling in Italy, it suddenly feels very realistic. The Serbian has been offered to Manchester United and former suitors Arsenal, but neither have batted an eyelid. That says plenty, especially about the former.
Chris Wood has been a fantastic player for Forest, but he turns 34 in December and scored just twice in his last 11 Premier League appearances in 2024/25 as his side bottled Champions League football. Vlahovic has similar physical attributes, is eight years younger, and still has the potential to become one of Europe’s best strikers.
Sunderland: Gustavo Hamer
We’re back in familiar territory: the Burnley conundrum. Sunderland have already made two excellent, and expensive, signings in Habib Diarra and Enzo Le Fee, so splashing out again might seem excessive. But improving their attack should still be the priority.
Promoted clubs need a forward capable of winning games on their own – but short of that, they could do a lot worse than Hamer. He went down with Sheffield United last year, but this would be a top-class addition.
Tottenham: Xavi Simons
A game-changing forward is exactly what Spurs need, with Harry Kane long gone and Heung-min Son’s world-class ability also nowhere to be seen.
Kudus has been strongly linked, and new Spurs boss Thomas Frank reportedly wants to reunite with Mbeumo, but the prospect of a world-class talent arriving from abroad is too good to ignore. A Rodrygo hijack would be sexy, but RB Leipzig attacker Simons is our man for Spurs.
He’s one of the best available players around and can operate as an attacking midfielder or on either wing. We’d love to see him in the Premier League, and Spurs would benefit massively from making it happen.
West Ham: Piero Hincapie
Graham Potter wants to rebuild this West Ham squad using the Kudus funds, a year after Julen Lopetegui did the same with signings that felt ambitious at the time but quickly became questionable at best.
An elite centre-back accustomed to playing in a back three would be absolutely perfect, though the Hammers also need reinforcements up front and in central midfield.
Hincapie is an outstanding talent, and Bayer Leverkusen will want a huge fee. The 23-year-old Ecuadorian has been linked with plenty of big clubs, but the clout mid-table Premier League sides now carry has never been stronger. This would potentially go down as the signing of the summer.
Wolves: Ademola Lookman
Lookman seems destined for a Premier League return after a previously miserable time representing Everton, Fulham and Leicester City. He is the personification of ‘unfinished business’.
With Matheus Cunha gone, Wolves need a versatile, take-the-game-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck forward. Lookman could be that guy – but he won’t come cheap from Atalanta.
Transfermarkt value the 27-year-old at €60m (£51.5m), which is slightly less than Cunha fetched from Manchester United. Wolves have been pretty reluctant to spend big in recent years due to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, but could find themselves in relegation bother if their former talisman isn’t properly replaced.
The prospect of finally shining in Our League could tempt Lookman to push for the move, which could play into Wolves’ hands.
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