Man Utd and Arsenal targets in most valuable Premier League XI outside Big Six (plus Newcastle)
Most of this Premier League XI have been linked with the Big Six (plus Newcastle) this year, with a whole new Arsenal midfield included.
The names come from Transfermarkt but their valuations are way too low to include here.
GK: Robert Sanchez (Brighton)
Recently lost his Brighton place to Jason Steele but returned for a win over Chelsea and a goalless FA Cup semi-final v Manchester United. There have been whispers that the Seagulls are prepared to sell this summer if the price is right, with both Tottenham and Chelsea linked with the Spanish international.
RB: Timothy Castagne (Leicester City)
Perhaps indicative of a dearth of good right-backs outside the elite, but Castagne is the starting Belgium right-back and at 27, Leicester will think they can get more than their money back this summer on a player already linked with a return to Italy with Inter Milan.
CB: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)
With the top 12 most valuable Premier League centre-backs already with the Big Six (plus Newcastle), the next man on the list is the England international at Palace who is still remarkably only 22. Tottenham are said to be eyeing the former Chelsea player, with Palace seemingly willing to sell for £45m.
CB: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham)
West Ham have lost only six of the 22 games featuring the Moroccan international this season. It’s fair to say that the Hammers might have been firmly ensconced in mid-table if last summer’s signing had been available for all of a very mixed campaign.
LB: Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace)
Pervis Estupinan might want a word but the algorithm favours Mitchell – who has truthfully not had the best of seasons – presumably because of his age and the fact that he is not only English, but an England international.
CM: Declan Rice (West Ham)
“I wouldn’t be spending £110m or £120m on Rice if I was Manchester United this summer. I would spend £50m-60m on Declan Rice, but I wouldn’t spend the figures being reported because I feel in that position, I still feel like he’s got a lot of growth,” said Gary Neville recently. But he will cost north of £100m and it seems Arsenal are willing to pay for him and also…
CM: Moises Caicedo (Brighton)
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has reportedly told the club’s hierarchy that he wants one Premier League player ‘at all costs’ this summer, after failing in a January with a move for the astonishingly good Brighton midfielder. He is likely to cost a cool £80m, which makes Brighton official sorcerers. The next option in this position? Yet another Brighton miracle in Alexis Mac Allister.
RW: James Maddison (Leicester City)
There is an acceptance at Leicester that Maddison will leave this summer as he quite rightly wants to play among the elite, with Newcastle the favourites – ahead of Tottenham – to sign him in a deal likely to be worth £50m. First he has a job to do: save Leicester from relegation while being called a w***er.
AM: Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)
“I can safely say that I am adapting,” said Paqueta this week, though some West Ham fans might argue that it’s about six months too late. “This is the Lucas Paqueta I thought I was getting for £51m,” said David Moyes, who pulled off the coup of signing the Brazilian international only to see him look lost. Remarkably he is only 25 so the Hammers would get their money back if they chose to sell.
LW: Harvey Barnes (Leicester City)
Has scored 10 Premier League goals this season without anybody but Harvey Barnes noticing. If he has any Euro 2024 aspirations, he probably needs to leave Leicester and around £50m from Newcastle (it’s always Newcastle) should grease the wheels.
ST: Ivan Toney (Brentford)
A cheaper striker alternative for Manchester United and possibly a long-term replacement for Harry Kane at Tottenham, but neither will make a bid for a striker worth in the region of £50m until they know if he is about to get hit by a six-month ban for infringing betting rules.
