Midfielders on the move: The story of the summer transfer window in the Premier League
Liverpool's midfield issues have been apparent for months, and even though they've already signed Alexis Mac Allister, further additions are expected.
Manchester City have lost their captain in Ilkay Gundogan and have pulled out of the race for Declan Rice which leaves a huge hole in the centre of the pitch for them.
The winners of the Rice saga (aside from the potentially £100 million richer West Ham, who themselves will then need a replacement) are Arsenal, who look set to secure a world-class talent for years to come.
Mason Mount has been targeted by Manchester United who desperately need reinforcements and his current club Chelsea are heavily linked to Moises Caicedo even without Mount's departure.
Newcastle look set to land Sandro Tonali from Milan while Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Leicester City's James Maddison.
All of these either confirmed or potential (and it's important to stress, potential) deals will see the major players in the Premier League strengthen their midfield in one way or another.
That is all a lot to take in, so here Flashscore will aim to break down who the clubs are looking at and the impact they might have.
Arsenal - Declan Rice
The name on everyone's lips for the last month has been Rice, who looks set to join the Gunners for over £100 million - a British transfer record.
Rice bolsters Arsenal's midfield and provides them with a serious platform to challenge for the Premier League next season.
Some will question the fee paid but in truth, the north London club are getting one of the best on the planet in that position and will be set up for a very bright future once his imminent transfer is completed.
Not only is Rice elite on and off the ball, but he is also a leader and captained West Ham to a European title last season - something only two other Hammers have done before.
The fact Arsenal have beaten so many others to his signature should say a lot about the direction they are heading in going into the new campaign.
Manchester City - Gabri Veiga
City were the other main competitor for Rice's signature after the departure of Gundogan but opted not to enter a drawn-out bidding war with Arsenal and will now turn their attention elsewhere.
While it would be unwise to assume City won't replace their departing captain, they do already have a huge pool of players to choose from in that area including new signing Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva who are more than adequate deputies.
Despite the addition of Kovacic, it is thought that City are still in the market for another midfielder, evidenced by their pursuit of Rice.
That means their rumoured interest in Celta Vigo midfielder Veiga makes a lot of sense - a young player that Pep Guardiola can take his time with to mould and gradually phase into the squad.
Veiga had a breakthrough season in Spain and was involved in over a third (35%) of his team's goals, finding the net 11 times and registering four assists in La Liga.
The Spaniard seems like a sensible addition should City move to bring him in, although expect a year of bedding in as has been the case with plenty of new arrivals at the Etihad in recent seasons.
He also reportedly has a €40 million (£34.6m) release clause, which might make him an attractive option for the club - Chelsea have also been linked with the midfielder.
Manchester United - Mason Mount
Despite there still being a small gap in valuations between the two clubs, it seems that Mount has had his heart set on United for some time now.
Capable of playing on the wing and centrally, the Englishman would be an ideal addition for Erik Ten Hag's side who need quality depth in forward areas and someone to help transition the ball through their midfield - with Mount fitting the bill in both instances.
While his form has tailed off at Stamford Bridge, he is still young at just 24 years old and would be an upgrade on Scott McTominay and Fred while also providing more energy than the ageing Christian Eriksen.
Add to that Mount's attacking output - 50 goals and 39 assists during his professional career - and United could be making a very clever addition to their midfield ranks.
They have also been credited with an interest in Caicedo, but he has suitors elsewhere...
Chelsea - Moises Caicedo
While the arrival of Enzo Fernandez in January appeared to leave Chelsea well-stocked in the centre of the park, the departures of Kovacic to Manchester City, N'Golo Kante to Al-Ittihad and the impending exit of Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan (as well as a potential move for Mount) means they need to once again return to that area of the transfer market.
Caicedo was the centre of attention back in January with both the Blues and Arsenal battling for his signature, only for the Ecuadorian to sign a new deal in Brighton with the view to making a transfer this summer.
He combines some of the qualities of those leaving into one player, with Caicedo fantastic defensively as well as driving forward through the middle of the pitch.
While he won't be looked to so much for offensive input, the midfielder's tough tackling and defensive awareness will provide his teammates with a platform to build upon and ideally allow Chelsea's talented attackers to finally start to flourish.
It does appear - at this stage - to just be a keen interest from the Blues, but the transfer would be a shrewd move if they can pull it off, adding much-needed bite to their midfield.
Aged just 21, Caicedo would have an impact immediately as well as in the long term.
Newcastle - Sandro Tonali
One of the shocks of the summer so far is the impending arrival of Tonali at Newcastle, who strengthens one of their most important positions.
The Magpies have needed an additional midfielder to compliment Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton for a while now and seem to have pulled it off with the Italian.
Tonali arrives with a huge pedigree - perhaps the biggest name signing under their new ownership - having won the Serie A with AC Milan two years ago on top of reaching a Champions League semi-final last season.
Primarily a defensive midfielder who also has a creative spark as shown with seven assists in the league during the previous campaign, Tonali will add depth and quality to a much-needed area of the pitch at St James' Park.
Despite that, Newcastle were also said to be looking at Maddison who opted to join Spurs - highlighting the fact they might dip into the market again for a more offensive option.
Spurs - James Maddison
Perhaps the most intriguing name of all those mentioned, there have been times when Maddison has looked like breaking through into the elite category of English players only for his form to drop off again.
Notably, he started the 2022/23 season exceptionally well and earned himself a call-up to the national team ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
By February, Maddison had netted nine times and provided five assists but only managed one more goal and four assists in the remaining 16 games of a campaign that ended in relegation.
Spurs have seen enough over the last few years though to take a punt on the 26-year-old in a bid to add much-needed creativity to their midfield.
A lot of the season will hinge on what happens with Harry Kane, but signing Maddison does no harm to their chances of success.
Liverpool - Manu Kone, Khephren Thuram, Dominik Szoboszlai
When it comes to Liverpool's midfield, a whole plethora of names have been mentioned (indicating the size of their rebuild) yet there hasn't been a great deal of movement since they brought Mac Allister in towards the start of the window.
Regardless of the World Cup winner coming in, the Reds still need more reinforcements to an area they have clearly struggled with for some time now.
Both Kone and Thuram have popped up consistently throughout the transfer window thus far and could be solid additions.
Kone plays for Gladbach in the Bundesliga while Thuram is on the books of Nice in Ligue 1 - both of which represent decent additions with the former operating slightly more defensively while the latter prefers to ply his trade further up the pitch.
The most exciting rumour is that of Szoboszlai, who is more attacking and can have the greater influence in the final third.
Currently turning out for RB Leipzig - where he scored 10 times and set up a further 13 in all competitions last season - the Hungarian international would be a very exciting addition should the Reds sign him (they have reportedly met his representatives, which you can read about here).
Other scenarios to keep an eye on:
- How Wolves replace Ruben Neves
- The futures of both James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia
- Kai Havertz's potential midfield role at Arsenal
- How West Ham use the money gained from selling Rice
