Who must sell before the start of the Premier League season?

The Premier League returns in only a few days, and despite having several months to decide on the futures of their star players, many of the big seven have once again left it to the last minute.

Many players have joined England's top teams, most recently Rasmus Hojlund at Manchester United and Josko Gvardiol at Manchester City.

However, clubs are still having difficulty releasing players from top teams. This could be because the numbers no longer fit, or because new blood has rendered prior squad members superfluous to requirements.

Others, meanwhile, are forced to play the financial fair play game, or are scrambling to raise funds to pay off their large spending plans following disappointing seasons. 

With the clock ticking down to the start of the action - and only a few weeks until the transfer market in England closes at 11 p.m. on Friday September 1 - we've looked at who your club needs to sell. 

Man United  

Rasmus Hojlund has come in - but without a squad number as Man United look to sell players 

 

 

United hope to improve on Erik ten Hag's third-place performance in his first season as manager at Old Trafford.

The acquisitions of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, and Andre Onana will aid that goal, but it also means that some of the Red Devils' longer-serving players will have to go.

Hojlund was revealed to the Manchester United crowd on Saturday without a squad number, indicating that the club expects new faces in and out before committing to the forthcoming season. 

Donny van de Beek is believed to have played his final game for the club, with a move to Real Sociedad on the horizon.

Meanwhile, two Saudi Pro League clubs have made approaches to move Eric Bailly to the Middle East after the defender failed to establish himself as a regular at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has also declared Fred and Brandon Williams surplus to requirements, and they are receiving interest from clubs all around the world.

United has a few of days more before the start of their league campaign than their opponents.

 

United have a couple of additional days before their league campaign begins, beginning next Monday against Wolves, but it's still a tight squeeze to get everything done in time to increase their hopes.

Man City  

Pep Guardiola has pleaded with Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker to stay at Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has pleaded with Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker to stay at Manchester City 

 

 

Pep Guardiola's team has a lot to lose following last year's Treble celebrations, and everyone else will be looking to dethrone the winners both in Europe and at home.

Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have already joined, while Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan are among others who have departed the Etihad in recent seasons.

Despite their Community Shield defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, the club is now in a situation where they do not need to sell.

Indeed, Pep Guardiola has begged with two of the individuals most likely to replace Mahrez and Gundogan at Man City to stay.

 

Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva were both connected with exits, but the manager informed reporters prior of the Community Shield:

'They are so important to us. We want them and will do everything.

'We want him to stay because he wants to stay. We will do everything. Replacing these two would be so difficult.'

Will Guardiola be able to keep them though, especially with Bayern Munich's strong interest in bringing Walker to Germany?

Arsenal

Inter Milan have revived their bid to sign Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun this summer 

 

 

The opposite is true for the Wembley winners. Mikel Arteta's men are desperate to overtake Manchester City at the top of the table after coming close last season, and their summer reinforcements will be crucial in doing so.

Declan Rice completed his £105 million move from West Ham to the Emirates, Kai Havertz left Chelsea for £65 million, and Juergen Timber came from Ajax for £40 million.

Arteta must now reduce his club down after admitting that his 30-man roster is too large for the next season.

Kierney, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira, and Rob Holding are among those who could leave the club this summer, making room for newcomers to adjust to life at the Emirates.

Inter Milan have restarted their pursuit of Arsenal's Folarin Balogun, but the two clubs are far apart in terms of money, with the Serie A giants offering £26 million, £19 million less than what the Gunners were looking for.

It remains to be seen whether Balogun will leave this summer like Granit Xhaka, Auston Trusty, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

If they can make any money in the transfer business, they will be halfway to covering the exorbitant expenses they have already incurred this summer.

Spurs

Tottenham, as usual, revolves on one man. Kane, Harry.

Spurs are unlikely to sell anyone. They appear to have settled into a pre-season routine under Ange Postecoglou, and they will be hoping that this continues when they face Brentford on Sunday.

After last season's chaotic campaign, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, and Manor Solomon were brought in to steady the ship - and based on pre-season, they may be in as good a shape as can be expected.

 

But will they be able to keep their talisman, with Bayern making all the proper moves to lure the England captain to the Bundesliga?

They are not have to sell Kane, but they may wish to do so if they do not want to risk losing him for free next season if he cannot commit to the club on another contract. 

 

While Tottenham has only lost a few players in the transfer window, most notably Harry Winks to Leicester City, it appears that things are improving. On Sunday, that will be put to the final test.

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp's side have been busy clearing out, and are now focusing entirely on signings

 

 

There is no one else for Liverpool to get rid of. So far this summer, the club's departures have included 11 names.

Jordan Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq in a contentious move, Fabinho joined Al-Ittihad in an unknown deal, while Naby Keita and James Milner both left on free transfers.

Liverpool released Roberto Firmino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and five loan transfers have been confirmed. Getting the exits done swiftly should prove to be a wise move, and no other big names are likely to follow.

Despite a wage offer of over £155 million for two seasons, Mo Salah's agent has shut down talks about joining Fabinho at Al-Ittihad this summer. 

Jurgen Klopp's team is now focusing on acquiring new players during the transfer window. They were determined to sign more players, particularly another midfielder, but just Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have arrived so far.

Chelsea

Chelsea look to leave it late with their transfer dealings again, with Romelu Lukaku set to leave 

 

 

Chelsea's limited roster size for the Champions League was an issue last season, with big-name purchases missing from the list of available players for the knockout stages earlier this year.

The Blues' Premier League placing of 12th means they don't need to worry about Europe, but there is still the issue of having more cooks than necessary for their west London soup.

Despite the departures of - deep breath - Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Edouard Mendy, Dujon Sterling, Baba Rahman, N'Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta, Tiemoue Bakayoko and David Fofana - there's still too many players on the books.

Mauricio Pochettino's team has bought a lot of players to replace those who have left.

Mauricio Pochettino's side has bought many players to replace those who have already departed, and they are still looking for more, most notably Brighton's Moises Caicedo.

Romelu Lukaku's future remains uncertain, despite the fact that it is certain that the Belgian will not return to Chelsea.

During Todd Boehly's first two transfer windows, the club has been slow to finalise agreements, both in and out. Despite having all summer to avoid these issues, it appears like they will have to go down to the wire once more.

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