The season is reaching its climax, and already the transfer rumour mill is whirring into action, and as one of the biggest transfers of the summer is complete (more on that later), we await to see who’s next. With many of Europe’s top sides expected to delve into the market and possibly spend big (or nothing), some of football’s top stars are likely to be on the move, and we can’t wait.

Because of the upcoming speculation, discussion and nonsense headlines that are surely heading this way, we wanted to get in early and discuss our top 5 summer transfers that are likely to happen. With this, we have picked out 5 transfers that we think will definitely occur this summer, and rank them in terms of how big the transfer is for the player, the clubs involved and football in general. Expect the usual big names, big money and huge talents.

As with every single thing on the internet, these choices are purely subjective and often led by personal bias, however if you disagree then head over to Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) and let us know the top 5 summer signings you’re excited for.

5. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City -> Arsenal)

This may well be looked back on as one of Arsenal’s best pieces of business in a long time, as they appear to be entering the market for a new striker this summer, and just up the road, a highly underrated, underused and full of potential striker has begun murmuring of a desire to leave.

Gabriel Jesus, at just 25 years of age, feels like he’s been warming Manchester City’s bench for decades, and reaching the end of his 6th year, he is yet to manage more than 22 starts in a single season for the club. Of his 158 Premier League appearances, 60 of them have come from the bench as primarily cameo roles, yet despite this, he has netted 58 league goals (just under 10 per season) and a total of 95 across all competitions for City. With the arrival of Europe’s most wanted, Erling Haaland, it’s no wonder Jesus’ nose has been pushed out of joint with this decision, and City’s loss could certainly be Arsenal’s gain.

Arteta is keen on creating a youthful and exciting attacking line-up, and Jesus could add a new dimension to this team. With Ødegaard feeding him assists, Saka and Smith-Rowe out wide, Jesus could play the focal role in the team and easily be netting 17/18+ league goals per season. As Arsenal seem to be missing out on the Champions League spots at tie of writing, Jesus feels like the missing piece of the jigsaw to get them back into that top 4, develop and grow as a unit and potentially begin the title challenge in 3-4 years.

Although valued quite highly currently, the arrival of Haaland could mean City are happy to let their Brazilian leave on the cheap to free up that wage budget, and with Lacazette appearing to be on his way out, Arsenal may be able to pull of a coup of a signing, and one that for now will be underrated, but in a year or two’s time, we could look back on as an absolute bargain. Admittedly, Arsenal have been linked with pretty much every player who’s ever scored a goal, this move makes most sense for now rather than the Isak or Núñez deals, and this is the one I expect them to be making this summer.

4. Paulo Dybala (Juventus -> Inter Milan/Tottenham Hotspur)

The only transfer on this list with an unknown destination, however the departure of Dybala from Juventus is certain, and it now becomes a race for his signature, as both Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur appear to be leading the race for the Argentine attacker.

Both destinations make sense on some level, with Inter offering a smaller distance move and culture shock, while the Spurs move would link him back up with Conte and continue essentially his rebuild of the Juve squad in London. Spurs in particular have had previous with Dybala, looking to make a deal happen previously but falling through before completion. Despite this, if Spurs are to keep their manager happy and content in this position, and with the prospect of Champions League football high, Dybala could show a serious signal of intent for the future of the club.

This deal, if done will be tricky for both these clubs as despite the £0 transfer fee, the savings will need to be ploughed into the wage and signing fees, something that Levy at Spurs may have caution over, while Inter have struggled with in recent years, having to clear out several huge names for financial issues, including Conte himself.

Whoever can convince Dybala to sign, will be bringing in a top-level player, who perhaps hasn’t quite hit the highest of highs, but has consistently performed, played at the top level for Juventus for 7 seasons and could seriously revitalise himself with a move and fresh start. Having struggled under the shadow of Ronaldo in the last few years, and this season with the fallout from his departure, his stats have dropped down from his earlier time at Juventus. Despite this, with 15 goals this season, and 115 in total for the Turin side, from a versatile attacking player could create a unbelievable connection with Kane, Son and Kulusevski, and under the tutelage of Conte who always finds a way to win, the move to Spurs is one I would like to see. Alternatively, the possible jump to Inter Milan could help them for next season as they look to fight once again for the Serie A title.

3. Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona -> Manchester United)

Things might just be looking up at Old Trafford for the struggling giants. The arrival of Erik ten Hag signals long-term planning and patience, and the rebuild job has gotten underway just this week as their new boss heads to Manchester to begin planning. A key element of this summer’s plans is on recruitment, both in and out. If the club are to compete on any front next year, a huge overhaul is needed, and spearheading the arrivals, has to be a no.6, so who better than Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, the man who played under Ten Hag at Ajax before his big move, and a return in the North of England has been discussed at length over the last few days.

Valued at around £60million, this move will fill the gap that United have struggled with for years, and could really infer what Ten Hag is looking for in his players. The possible midfield 3 of De Jong, Van de Beek and Fernandes could gel perfectly, with 2 out of the 3 having played already under the new manager, while fitting each position and offering versatility in their roles. As Pogba is already out of the door, there needs to be a refreshing of the midfield, as United cannot enter the new season with the McFred reliance.

With Barcelona needing to cash in on several of their big names, and Ten Hag needing to spread his transfer budget across several positions, a move for Rice is certainly out of the question, and unless Leeds face relegation, the transfer of Kalvin Phillips is one I can’t see happening, so the De Jong move makes sense on all fronts.

Frenkie de Jong will really sure up the midfield and fill the missing piece of the 3. Ten Hag will likely play with a 6,8 and 10, and his experience of Van de Beek will likely offer him the chance to secure a starting spot in the 8 role, or rotate with Bruno in the no.10 position, however De Jong is the perfect man to take the 6 role. A versatile midfield 3 packed with talent and possession/playmaking ability would really help support the attackers and create the build up play and pressing style Ten Hag will look to enforce. Of all midfield rumours, this one again just makes sense, and I think could be a huge success to kickstart the era of Erik.

2. Kylian Mbappe (PSG -> Real Madrid)

What a surprise we have included one of, if not the most exciting young strikers in world football in our list, and with this move potentially being sorted in the coming days/weeks, this could well go down as the best free-agent signing of all-time. With the 23 year old’s contract expiring this summer, he may well be about to leave Paris, Messi, Neymar and the huge sum of money behind, for Spain and another huge sum of money, as a free-agent, costing his current side a transfer fee that could have easily gone into the hundreds of millions.

Real Madrid love to work these deals into their signings, as they pick up out of contract players for no signing fee, and instead offer the players an astronomical wage and bonus for agreeing to the deal. These signings mean Madrid never have to pay their European rivals for their superstar players, and they can offer the individuals a good chunk of the savings. This deal demonstrates this transfer tactic at the highest level, with wages for the young French striker ranging in anything from £500,000 to £1million per week according to several (albeit questionable sources). Money aside, if Real Madrid can get this signing over the line, which according to several reports is almost done, and then possible win the Champions League final as well as the already captured La Liga title, Real Madrid will truly be the dominant force in football, and the prospect of Vinicius, Mbappe and a highly in-form Benzema just one option for their attacking line-up, they will be hopeful of going again even stronger next season.

In return for the significant wage budget dent, they will be getting one of the two most highly-sought prospects in football, as at just 23 and way off his peak, he is already dominating in France, Europe and on the World stage. With a trophy cabinet that boasts 12 domestic cups, a Nations League title and the 2018 World Cup along with around a million individual awards, Mbappe has done almost everything in the game at such a young age, except for the trophy that Madrid have dominated since it’s inception, the Champions League trophy. With 199 goals from 288 games in his club career, he averages around 2 in 3, and in the past 4 years has bagged 30+ goals in each season.

The link-up with Benzema will please Madrid fans and neutral football fans around the globe as the French pairing could link up and cause havoc. With Benzema hitting some of the best form of his career, but now at 34 years of age, the combo of youth and experience with both players at the top of their game could destroy most defences. Europe beware if they get this deal over the line.

1. Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund -> Manchester City)

Signed, sealed, delivered, he’s heading to Manchester and the Premier League awaits. City have tried their striker-less system for the past year or so since the culmination of the Aguero era, and while it hasn’t slowed them down in the league by any means, it does feel like a talismanic striker will be the key to unlocking success in Europe. Whichever side you look around Europe, their success in the Champions League is focussed around specific individuals who dominate and drag their team over the line, and with the arrival of the goal machine from Dortmund, they certainly have a player who can do this.

Haaland already has 155 club goals from 200 appearances through the Norwegian 3rd division through to his latest campaign at Dortmund. Averaging 0.775 goals per game in his professional club career, it’s his time at Salzburg and Dortmund which make the best reading. Given the level he was playing at, in his 2 years in Austria he picked up 2 league titles, 1 cup and managed 29 goals from 27 appearances, going to over a goal per game average. From here, he’s stepped up once again to Dortmund where his trophy cabinet hasn’t expanded massively, picking up just 1 DFB-Pokal trophy, however its’s not for want of trying as he has bagged 86 in 89 for the 2nd place German side. His stats are superb, he plays brilliant football and is a magnificent athlete who certainly passes the eye test, and with near enough every top European club showing a strong level of interest, City getting the deal done early will please fans and staff who will be excited for his arrival at pre-season (once they get this years’ title race out of the way).

The finances involved have certainly been portrayed in a favourable light for City, however delving deeper unearths some eyewatering numbers for the signing bonuses and agent fees, however City aren’t short of a few pound and we know Guardiola loves a new toy to start the season with. City fans will spend the next 10 years claiming it was a bargain, while opposition supporters will claim they’re throwing money at problems, but ultimately who cares? Erling Haaland, one of the most exciting, dominating and elite-level strikers is heading this way, and Premier League defenders are already having nightmares.

So, what to expect from his debut season? Well, I think we may need to taper expectations just for now, as Guardiola will have no worries over rotating the Norwegian, and as seen in his managing of Foden and Grealish this season, he will be reluctant to give Haaland 90 minutes in every game, and probably be focussed on the big games and Champions League nights for the first month or two, before making his mark and featuring much more as the season progresses. With that in mind, I think a target of 17 league goals would be expected purely with the rotation, while he will be aiming for around 25 in all competitions. It may well take a few gameweek’s to truly settle into the league as we have seen from previous Bundesliga arrivals, however when it clicks, he and City will become an unstoppable force.