Transfer rumours provide the backdrop to every summer and, unless you’re into the Club World Cup or Women’s Euros, provide football fans the world over with our daily, often entirely fabricated, footballing sustenance.

For Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, there’s nothing quite like a new arrival to heighten the excitement ahead of a new season.

Matheus Cunha, Liam Delap, Jeremie Frimpong, Rayan Cherki, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez have already made their moves.

• READ MORE: Confirmed summer transfers for FPL 2025/26

Now that July is upon us, we can expect to see more deals getting over the line, as clubs start to return to pre-season training and managers get players through the door in order to embed the new signings into the team.

July is also the new financial year for most European clubs, meaning that deals such as Martin Zubimendi, for example, can be pushed through so that they can be booked on the selling club’s 2025/26 accounts.

So, who else looks poised to join the English top-flight? Here we run the rule over the week’s latest rumours, the likelihood of their becoming reality and what sort of FPL fit they would make for their prospective clubs.

THIERNO BARRY (VILLARREAL) TO EVERTON

Everton are looking to bolster their depleted strike force by signing Thierno Barry from Villarreal. The 22-year-old, who has a £34.5m release clause in his contract, was part of the France squad that reached the semi-finals of the recent European Under-21 Championship. 

He scored 11 goals in La Liga last season as Villarreal qualified for the Champions League. The Spanish club only signed him last August after he got off to a flying start to the season in Swiss football with eight goals in four matches for FC Basel.

HOW LIKELY

This deal looks as though it will almost certainly go through as sources say the player is keen on the move after Everton made a recent breakthrough in negotiations that have been ongoing for several weeks. In other words, they released Dominic Calvert–Lewin and waived a lot of money at him.

ANY FPL APPEAL?

There is no doubt that Everton need a striker, with Calvert-Lewin having left at the end of his contract, and the club having decided against taking up the option on Armando Broja. That leaves them with just Iliman Ndiaye and Beto as largely underwhelming forward options.

Barry, therefore, could be a very interesting proposition. We will have to see what his price point is in the soon-to-be-released game if he joins, but should he fall into the budget-forward category, he could prove an attractive differential. 

In his only season in Spain, Barry delivered 11 goals and four assists in 38 games. He was clearly a key component of a successful team, and he is a penalty taker to boot, having scored from the spot for both the Yellow Submarine and Basel last term.

FPL managers will have to weigh up how quickly a 22-year-old from a foreign league will adapt to the step up in quality and physicality of the Premier League and also where Barry’s goal supply chain will come from. 

Everton, and David Moyes sides in general, are hardly known for their free-scoring ways, but with Dwight McNeil fit again (having missed much of last season with injury) and Carlos Alcaraz and Jarrad Branthwaite having committed to new deals, Moyes is building solid foundations. Plus, with a surname like Barry, he is surely destined for a long Premier League career…

MARC GUEHI (CRYSTAL PALACE) TO LIVERPOOL

Not content with spending a king’s ransom on Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, the Liverpool transfer juggernaut rumbles on with the Premier League champions expected to make a move for Marc Guehi.

Having sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m and with Ibrahima Konate entering the final year of his contract (a potential transfer to Real Madrid is mooted), the Reds are looking to strengthen their spine.

HOW LIKELY?

Although no official offer has yet come from Liverpool, this deal has been in the post for some time and Guehi, whom Newcastle have been trying and failing to sign for the last 12 months, is said to have his heart set on Anfield.

According to reports, an “agreement has been agreed in principal” between the player and the club but Palace can drive a hard bargain and will be loath to lose their captain for anything less than £45m. With Liverpool having received a pretty penny for Quansah, one suspects the Guehi deal will get done.

ANY FPL APPEAL?

Guehi is a Premier League-proven defender who has been a rock for Palace over recent seasons. His 23 England caps are a testament to his quality,

He returned three goals and two assists last season and, crucially, 11 clean sheets in an attack-minded Palace side. With 116 FPL points, he ranked 18^th among all defenders in the game. You would have to conclude that in a superior Liverpool side adept at shielding the back four, Guehi’s returns would improve – but that, of course, all depends on whether he would be a starter. Whether Slot prefers Guehi to Konate remains to be seen, so regularity of minutes would be the concern.

OLLIE WATKINS (ASTON VILLA) TO MANCHESTER UNITED

Ollie Watkins is the latest player to be linked with Manchester United as Ruben Amorim’s attempts to salvage the shipwrecked club continue in vain.

United, who have been linked all summer with a move for Bryan Mbeumo, are believed to have now opened talks over bringing in Ollie Watkins.

HOW LIKELY

The Red Devils, who missed out on Liam Delap, have already strengthened their attack by signing Matheus Cunha and look to be close to clinching Mbeumo, who seems desperate to move to Old Trafford.

It is therefore hard to see where United will get £60m required to secure Watkins’ signature as well. Any move would be contingent on Rasmus Hojlund being sold.

ANY FPL APPEAL?

In terms of FPL appeal, there is no questioning Watkins’ FPL pedigree. The forward has delivered consistently over recent seasons, with the campaign before last a sensational one, in which he only came third to Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer after tailing off in the final straight of an exhausting season. In 2023/24, he averaged 6.16 points per game.

Last season, Watkins returned 16 goals and eight assists for 186 points, making him the third-highest scoring forward in the game after Alexander Isak and Chris Wood and the seventh overall. Furthermore, Watkins has consistently delivered over the last five Premier League seasons. 

Goal scorer: tick. Assist-maker: tick. Premier League proven: tick. So, what’s not to like? The only reservations are the fact that he would be going to Manchester United, the graveyard of footballers.

It’s quite perplexing that other clubs aren’t in for Watkins, to be perfectly honest.

NONI MADUEKE (CHELSEA) TO ARSENAL

It’s been at least a day since Arsenal last signed a Chelsea player, so it’s high time to reveal another prospective player move from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates Stadium. He’s just waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive, apparently.

Word has it that the Gunners have made inquiries about Noni Madueke and Chelsea have not been offended by the approach. Arsenal are in the market for a left-sided winger to provide competition for Gabriel Martinelli and have been linked with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams. 

While the latter two transfers could yet materialise, Madueke would represent a cheaper option, and free up funds for Arsenal to go all-in for the No 9 the whole world has been saying they need to recruit.

HOW LIKELY

If certain reports are to be believed, Mikel Arteta has been personally in touch with Madueke’s agent to convince him to join. And, let’s face it, barely a transfer window goes by without Arsenal going shopping on the Fulham Road. 

Also, Madueke is going to struggle for gametime in a Chelsea squad which has added Estevao Willian and which looks seemingly set to be further bloated by the arrival of Jamie Gittens.

That said, the suspicion is that Madueke is being used as a stalking horse to try and smoke out Real Madrid or Athletic Bilbao into selling their primary targets. Madueke himself is also reportedly concerned about his prospects of getting regular minutes at Arsenal as his best chance of game time would be on the left side, while he prefers the other flank. On the other side, he knows full well he would not get the nod ahead of Bukayo Saka.

ANY FPL APPEAL?

Madueke was much improved last season. After Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson, he was Chelsea’s best performer, returning 120 points. Madueke is fast, tricky and dangerous when cutting inside from the right. He was fourth at the club for attacking returns (12), which is respectable considering he made only 27 starts, and he is a shot monster. His average of 4.2 points per start was fourth among his team-mates, while only Palmer had more than his 80 goal attempts.