With the summer transfer window for the 2023-24 season almost coming to a close, many clubs are still on the lookout to make last-minute additions to strengthen their respective squad.
With the deadline day marked on September 1 (September 2 in IST for Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1) across Europe, European heavyweights still have time to do some business and add players. Ahead of deadline day 2023, here are the players some big clubs across Europe are targeting.
Barcelona
Defending La Liga champion Barcelona has added some firepower to their squad by signing players like Manchester City’s treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan, Oriol Romeu and Inigo Martinez.
However, according to media reports, Xavi will make an attempt to sign Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix in the coming 48 hours.
The Portuguese has made his intention of playing for Barcelona quite public, which means personal terms will not be a problem. The only obstacle right now for Barcelona is to strike a deal with Atletico to acquire Felix.
Real Madrid
Spain’s most successful team, Real Madrid has not really gone on an expensive spending spree in the summer market but it did shell out a huge amount of cash to sign midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund - 103 million euros to be precise.
While Bellingham was the big-money signing, the Los Blancos have also signed attacking midfielder Arda Guler from Fenerbahce, left-back Fran Garcia from Rayo Vallecano, centre-forward Joselu from Espanyol and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea on loan.
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Real was also linked with a potential move for French superstar Kylian Mbappe, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti said that the signing is not possible in this window, with PSG playing hardball over the transfer fee.
Ancelotti has said that Madrid has added all the players it needs for the ongoing season and that there would not be any more signings but if there is one club which can surprise, it has to be the record Champions League winner.
There are no concrete rumours related to Real Madrid as of now, but keep your eyes peeled in the hours to come.
PSG
Amidst the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has been very active in the transfer market this summer.
It has signed midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Sporting CP, winger Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona, full-back Lucas Hernandez from Bayern Munich, midfielder Kang in-Lee from RCD Mallorca, centre-back Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan, winger Marco Asensio from Real Madrid and forward Goncalo Ramos from Benfica.
Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt skipped training sessions to force a move to PSG, according to reports. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
The intent is clear from the French champion - aim for the first Champions League in the club’s history. And by the looks of it, Kylian Mbappe is staying for the moment, with Neymar having departed for Saudi-Pro League club Al-Hilal and Lionel Messi for Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami.
As far as deadline day is concerned, the record-French champion is rumoured to be going for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani. According to the latest reports, Kolo Muani has skipped training sessions with his current club to force a move to the French capital.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich undoubtedly made one of Europe’s biggest signings this window by acquiring Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur for 100 million euros.
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Apart from Kane, the Bundesliga champion also signed centre-back Kim min-Jae, who won the Serie A title with Napoli last season, goalkeeper Daniel Peretz from Maccabi Tel Aviv, along with midfielder Konrad from RB Leipzig and left-back Raphael Guerreiro from Borussia Dortmund - both on free transfers.
With deadline day rapidly approaching, it is rumoured that the Bavarians are eyeing Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, and would be interested in swapping Ryan Gravenberch with the Red Devils.
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