Despite the current pause for competitive football, there’s no time to waste – the new season is upon us and EPL teams are already busy getting prepared for the new season by playing control matches and making changes to the roasters. We have compiled all you need to know about your favourite clubs from the Foggy Albion here.

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Manchester City

Manchester City will begin pre-season matches against Celtic FC on 24 July at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. On 27 July, the team will play AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Citizens will then face FC Barcelona at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on 30 July. The tour will conclude with a match against the Premier League fellow Chelsea FC on 3 August at the Ohio Stadium. 

After returning from the trip, City will play the match in the FA Community Shield, an annual fixture contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the Emirates FA Cup.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• Savio Moreira: The 20-year-old Brazilian winger has moved from French club ES Troyes AC to Manchester City. He played for Girona FC last season where he played 41 games, scoring 11 goals and giving 10 assists.

Sales and Loans:

• Liam Delap: The 21-year-old forward has moved to Ipswich Town FC. The contract is for five years. According to media reports, the transfer sum totalled £15 million plus £5 million in bonuses and 20% of the player’s next transfer.
• Sergio Gomez: The left-back has moved to Real Sociedad. The amount of the transfer is not named, but according to media reports, the Spanish club paid €10 million and City will also receive 30 per cent of the player’s next transfer.

Possible transfers:

• Ederson: Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr FC made an offer of €30 million for the Brazilian goalkeeper, but Manchester City rejected the offer and asked for €50 million. Ederson has already agreed to the switch but negotiations are on hold for now.
• Dani Olmo: The Spanish midfielder is close to a move to the City. The buyout sum is €60 million and the deal is expected to be closed soon.
• Julian Alvarez: The Argentine forward has expressed his desire to leave the club to play a bigger role. He played 54 games in the 2023/24 season, scoring 19 goals and giving 13 assists. His value is estimated at 90 million euros.

Other rumours:

• Andrii Lunin: The Ukrainian goalkeeper is seen as a possible replacement for Ederson.

Arsenal FC

Arsenal’s current schedule includes four friendly matches and an Emirates FA Cup fixture. Their USA tour begins against AFC Bournemouth on July 25, followed by a match against Manchester United FC in California. Four days later, they will face Liverpool FC at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, marking their first-ever meeting in the USA.

Returning to North London, the Gunners will play a friendly against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium as a part of the Cup just six days before their EPL opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• David Raya: The goalkeeper signed a permanent contract with Arsenal after going on loan last season.

Sales and Loans:

• Albert Sambi Lokonga: Moved to Sevilla FC on loan for a season.
• Nuno Tavares: Expected to move to SS Lazio.

Possible transfers:

• Riccardo Calafiori: Negotiations with Bologna FC over the transfer of the 22-year-old Italian are ongoing. Arsenal FC have offered 40 million euros, while Bologna are demanding 50 million.
• Mikel Merino: The Gunners are targeting Real Sociedad for €24 million to acquire the 28-year-old midfielder. Merino recently became a European champion and proved himself at UEFA EURO 2024, which has intensified Arsenal’s interest. However, clubs like Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid are also interested in the player.
• Andrii Lunin: Arsenal are considering Real Madrid’s Ukrainian goalkeeper as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsdale. Lunin has not yet responded to the club’s offer to extend his contract. If Lunin leaves, Real Madrid CF could revisit the idea of signing Kepa Arrizabalaga if he becomes available without a transfer fee.

Liverpool FC

Liverpool will start their pre-season with a match against Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium in Pennsylvania. They will then face Arsenal and Manchester United in quick succession during their U.S. tour. Reds’ season preparation will conclude a week before the Premier League opener with a fixture against Sevilla at Anfield.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• No new acquisitions.

Sales and Loans:

• Adrian: The 37-year-old goalkeeper has signed a two-year contract with Betis after completing his contract with Liverpool.

Possible transfers:

• Luis Diaz: Barcelona are interested in the 27-year-old Colombian, valued at €75 million. He ranks above Nico Williams and Dani Olmo on Barcelona’s sporting director priority list.
• Alisson Becker: Saudi clubs are planning to offer a generous contract to the 31-year-old Liverpool goalkeeper. He is valued at an estimated €28 million.
• Virgil van Dijk: Al-Nassr is interested in the Liverpool centre-back. The club is ready to make van Dijk the highest-paid defender in the world. The 32-year-old’s contract expires in the summer of 2025.
• Joe Gomez: FC Bayern Munich is showing interest in Liverpool’s versatile defender, valued at €28m.
• Arda Güler: The Reds are considering Real Madrid’s 19-year-old Turkish midfielder, valued at €30m.
• Adrien Rabiot: The French midfielder is out of contract after leaving Juventus. Liverpool and AC Milan are interested in signing him.
• Anthony Gordon: Liverpool are in talks with Newcastle over the transfer of the Englishman. The first talks ended unsuccessfully but discussions will continue.

Other rumours:

• Trent Alexander-Arnold: Real Madrid are interested in the Liverpool right-back, whose contract expires in 2025. Preliminary talks have already taken place.

Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa FC will kick off their pre-season with a match against FC Spartak Trnava in Slovakia. They will then travel to the USA for a series of fixtures against Columbus Crew, RB Leipzig, and Club America.

Their pre-season will continue in England with a game against Athletic Bilbao at Bescot Stadium before concluding with a fixture against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park in Germany.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• Amadou Onana: The 22-year-old centre midfielder has signed for Aston Villa for an estimated £50 million plus bonuses. Onana, who previously played for Everton FC, was a key player last season, playing 37 games, scoring 3 goals and making 1 assist.

Possible transfers:

• Ollie Watkins: the 28-year-old Aston Villa striker is a Chelsea FC target. Cole Palmer, with whom Watkins has a strong friendly relationship, has tried to convince him to move to the London club. The player played 53 games in the 2023/24 season, scoring 27 goals and making 13 assists. His value is estimated at 65 million euros.
• Nico Williams: The 22-year-old Spanish winger from Athletic Bilbao is attracting attention from Aston Villa, Chelsea and Barcelona. The clause in his contract is €55 million and while Barcelona are willing to pay it, the Lions and other clubs could also enter the fray for the player. Williams played 37 games in the 2023/24 season, scoring 8 goals and giving 19 assists.

Tottenham Hotspur FC

Tottenham will start their pre-season preparation with a match against Queens Park Rangers in London. The team will then travel to Japan to face Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.

After that, Spurs will play two matches in South Korea, first against a K-League XI and then against Bayern Munich. The pre-season will end with a game against the already mentioned Bayern at the Tottenham Stadium in London.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• Archie Gray: The 17-year-old centre midfielder from Leeds has signed a six-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur FC. The transfer fee totalled around £40 million. Gray played 52 games for Leeds United FC in the 2023/2024 season, scoring two goals and two assists.

Possible transfers:

• Giorgi Sudakov: The Ukrainian midfielder from FC Shakhtar Donetsk is one of the top targets for Tottenham. Shakhtar are demanding at least €50 million for the player.
• Sebastian Szymanski: The midfielder from Fenerbahce SK is also on the Londoners’ interest list. His transfer is estimated at €25-30 million, but the Turkish club will want more.
• Artem Dovbyk: The Ukrainian forward from Girona has attracted the attention of Tottenham, along with other clubs such as Atletico, Chelsea and SSC Napoli. The player is valued at €40 million.

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Chelsea FC

Chelsea will kick off their pre-season with a match against Wrexham AFC at Levi’s Stadium in California. They will face Celtic, Real Madrid and Manchester City in the USA. The final match of the pre-season will be held at Stamford Bridge in London, where the Aristocrats will play against FC Inter Milan.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• Renato Veiga: The 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder from FC Basel has signed a 7-year contract with Chelsea with an option to extend for another year. The transfer fee totalled around €14 million. Last season Veiga played 25 matches, scored 2 goals and gave 1 assist.
• Marc Guiu: The 18-year-old forward from Barcelona has signed a 5-year contract with Chelsea with an option to extend it for another season.

Interests:

• Jonathan David: The Lille OSC striker is a Chelsea target after being rejected by Omorodion.
• Nico Williams: The Athletic Bilbao leader is also on the Londoners’ interest list. Chelsea is ready to fight for his signing despite competition from Barcelona.
• Conor Gallagher: Chelsea midfielder is on Atletico’s radar. The Madrid club is showing serious interest despite the player’s high cost of €50 million.

Rejections:

• Samu Omorodion: Atletico Madrid have rejected Chelsea’s transfer offer for 33 million euros plus bonuses. The Spanish club is demanding £70m.
• Karim Adeyemi: The Borussia Dortmund winger has turned down a move to Chelsea in favour of the UEFA Champions League club. He is valued at €28 million.

Newcastle United FC

Newcastle United FC will begin their pre-season with a match against Hull City at MKM Stadium in Hull. They will then travel to Japan to face Urawa Red Diamonds and Yokohama F Marinos. The pre-season will continue with two matches on August 10 at St. James Park Stadium in Brackley, where the Magpies will first take on Girona FC and then Stade Brestois.

Activity on the transfer market

Interests:

• Viktor Tsygankov: Girona’s Ukrainian winger is at the centre of Newcastle’s attention this summer transfer window. The transfer fee is estimated at €30 million. Tsygankov is also attracting interest from clubs such as Manchester United, Aston Villa, Arsenal and AC Milan. Last season, Player played 34 games for Girona, scored 8 goals and made 7 assists. There is a player’s preference for the EPL, which could be a key factor in choosing a club.

Manchester United FC

Manchester United will start their pre-season with a match against Rangers FC on July 20 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. They will then travel to the USA, facing Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool. The pre-season will conclude with the Community Shield match against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on August 10.

Activity on the transfer market

Acquisitions:

• Mason Greenwood: The English forward has signed a contract with French side Olympique de Marseille. The deal was worth €26 million plus €5 million in bonuses and 50 per cent of the next transfer fee. He spent last season on loan at Getafe CF, scoring 10 goals and giving 6 assists.
• Joshua Zirkzee: The Dutch forward from Bologna has signed a contract with Manchester United until the summer of 2029. The transfer fee totalled over €40 million. Joshua scored 12 goals and made 7 assists in the 2023/24 season.
• Willy Kambwala: The 19-year-old centre-back signed a five-year contract with Villarreal CF. The transfer fee totalled €10 million. MU have a buy-back option remaining.

Welcome to Marseille 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 ✍️ 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/1umofrdrlK

— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) July 18, 2024

Interests:

• Jonathan Tah: The Bayer Leverkusen defender is a target for Manchester United. It is expected that the club could poach him from Bayern Munich. The transfer fee is estimated at €30 million.
• Scott McTominay: Galatasaray SK is interested in the centre midfielder. Negotiations on his transfer are ongoing and the player is valued at 32 million euros.
• Federico Chiesa and Jadon Sancho: Exchange talks are ongoing between Manchester United and Juventus FC. Chiesa, valued at €35 million, could move to Manchester, while Sancho (€30 million) could move to Turin. 
• Manuel Ugarte: Centre midfielder of PSG is of interest to Manchester United. However, the club wanted to sell Casemiro to Saudi Arabia first.
• Matthijs de Ligt: The Red Devils are ready to offer €50-60 million for the Bayern Munich defender, but no deal has been reached yet. 
• Jarrad Branthwaite: Everton have asked for over £70m for their leading defender, making negotiations difficult.