So many players are perpetually linked with a transfer to the Premier League without ever coming. Two or three names have popped into your head already…
Here’s an XI consisting of those players in question, including a copious number of Arsenal and Manchester United transfer targets.
We will link to every player’s archives for you beautiful people because transfer rumour nostalgia is bloody undefeated.
GK: Diogo Costa
Possibly a bit young to be in this sort of team, Costa seems to be the subject of transfer speculation every summer, usually to Manchester United. Andre Onana’s arrival at Old Trafford saw those rumours die down quite substantially, but they are not dead and buried, folks.
A move to the Premier League feels inevitable with Manchester City potentially in the market for a new goalkeeper next summer.
RB: Denzel Dumfries
Another perpetual Manchester United target, Dumfries gets linked with the Red Devils every transfer window and Noussair Mazraoui’s summer arrival won’t stem the tide.
Dumfries is a fantastic right-wing-back but we are not fully convinced by his credentials as an out-and-out right-back. That will probably be what stops him from coming to the Premier League; wing-backs are so 2017.
CB: Jules Kounde
‘Had to genuinely check that Jules Kounde had not had an underwhelming spell with Chelsea.’ Winty’s words on Kounde say all you need to know.
Kounde to Chelsea was a massive rumour in the 2022 summer transfer window before he went to FC Barcelona, the same window that Raphinha was close to joining the Blues too. Rumours with both players persist today, with Kounde reportedly close to joining Chelsea in both 2021 and 2022.
Now it’s Manchester United. Because of course it is.
CB: Ronald Araujo
A Barcelona centre-back duo is completed by Uruguayan international Araujo. The Catalan giants are perfect for this team with so many of their players reportedly available for transfer due to their financial problems. Araujo was strongly linked with Manchester United and Chelsea before signing a contract extension in April 2022.
Again, his future is not destined to be in Catalonia and there are a few Premier League clubs who would be willing to sign him for big money. Araujo could be one to watch and will likely become a stalwart in the perpetually linked to the Premier League XI.
LB: Nicolas Tagliafico
Tagliafico’s move to Lyon in 2022 was an almighty anti-climax after being a reported target for all the Big Six in the Premier League during his time at Ajax.
The Argentine World Cup winner is out of contract next summer. Unfortunately, we think Nottingham Forest are beyond that sort of deal now, but a move to the Premier League could finally come to fruition. Tagliafico is formerly of Ajax so a move to Manchester United – who could do with more left-back depth – is on like Donkey Kong.
DM: Frenkie de Jong
We are accidentally veering towards a ‘reported Man United target XI’. De Jong is a little different to the rest, though. It has always been clear that he has no intention of moving to Old Trafford, whereas that is not the case with your Ronald Araujos and Adrien Rabiots.
De Jong to the Red Devils was the biggest story of the summer following Erik ten Hag’s move to Old Trafford two years ago. It got boring real quick, with United having a bid accepted making absolutely no difference considering the Dutch midfielder was devastated by the transfer links.
Even the most ambitious websites were dubious the following summer and in the most recent summer window, there were quite a lot of stories linking De Jong with a move to England. Regardless, we are a sucker for a Spanish source claiming he is ‘one step away’ from joining Ten Hag and his ‘best friend’ Matthijs de Ligt at Old Trafford.
👉 READ MORE: Frenkie de Jong last: Ranking Erik ten Hag’s 2019 Ajax squad by likelihood of Man Utd transfer
CM: Adrien Rabiot
Has to be the captain of this side, surely? Every Premier League club has been linked with Rabiot at one point or another. And every time, we are reminded about his mother, who is apparently a bit of a loose cannon and definitely puts her son’s best interests first, even if it leaves the midfielder red-faced.
Rabiot left Juventus when his contract expired at the end of last season and after links to Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool and others, the window closed and he was still a free agent.
Many people thought a Premier League move was finally going to happen but it’s simply not meant to be. On September 17, the 29-year-old officially joined Marseille on a free. We look forward to writing about you again in January, Adrien. (We don’t).
👉 F365 IN 2022: Adrien Rabiot one of six players perpetually linked with Premier League who will never come
CM: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
It is an incredibly strong centre-midfield partnership with Milinkovic-Savic – now in Saudi Arabia – next to Rabiot. We would be lying if we said his move to Al Hilal didn’t delight us. Since then, we have written one story about him, and it wasn’t a transfer rumour. We are one year clean and it feels so good.
We don’t want to speak too soon but we might never have to write about him again. Oh boy, that’s the dream.
AM: Houssem Aouar
There are a few options in this position. You have Nabil Fekir and Paulo Dybala but Aouar is too strong a contender to exclude. How he never became an Arsenal player is beyond us. Him and Julian Draxler were supposed to have statues outside the Emirates by now. Instead it’s just a couple of French frauds and a Dutch fella who didn’t like flying.
Aouar was linked with Arsenal every single transfer window and we have no clue whatsoever if they actually wanted to sign him at any point. He is now in Saudi with Al Ittihad after a season at AS Roma. What a career he never had.
ST: Jonathan David
Not the captain but the inspiration for this XI, we are sick and tired of David being linked with every top club under the sun without ever being close to leaving Lille. It has been very boring for a very long time.
David is only 24 years old, which is ironically how many years it feels like I have been writing about Manchester United’s interest in him. He is available on a free transfer next summer and a few Premier League clubs are reportedly interested. It has been hard to gauge the truth of some rumours involving the Canadian but these clubs would be silly not to consider signing him for nothing.
Competition is fierce, mind. Barcelona are a serious option with Robert Lewandowski knocking on retirement’s door and Joan Laporta being a sucker for free transfers due to their aforementioned money problems.
ST: Karim Benzema
Former Arsenal target Benzema was wanted by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson back in the day but joined Real Madrid and had no intention of swapping the Spanish capital for the English capital despite hundreds of stories during his time at the club.
It was a nice blast from the past when Benzema – now at Al Ittihad with Aouar – was linked with the Gunners in January. The prophecy was almost fulfilled but it was not to be. What a shame. At least it stopped us from checking if Spurs legend Leandro Damiao is still knocking around. (We did anyway and he’s a free agent).
