Manchester United’s attacking options are set to receive a boost this summer, and the club have now added a new option to their shortlist of potential arrivals.

The Red Devils secured their place in next season’s Champions League by finishing third in the Premier League, with manager Michael Carrick securing more points in the division than anyone else since he was appointed in January.

But with a busier schedule now set for next season as a result, the team needs reinforcements to ensure their level doesn’t drop, and Carrick has identified one Premier League star as an option.

Man Utd Eyeing Iliman Ndiaye Deal

According to the Manchester Evening News, Man Utd are eyeing up a deal for Everton star Iliman Ndiaye this summer.

Ndiaye, who has been described as ‘one of the most exciting attackers in the Premier League’, enjoyed a fine season with the Toffees in the most recent campaign, registering six goals and three assists as they finished in mid-table.

It has since emerged that the Senegal international is refusing to commit to a new contract at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as the potential for a move to a Champions League club emerges.

No official move has been made for Ndiaye at this point, but it’s previously been reported that the 26-year-old views a move to Old Trafford as his ‘dream move’, which could make their interest materialise later in the window.

Everton do not want to sell their star forward, but United view his versatility as a key attribute as he can play on both wings or as a number ten, which could see him fit in perfectly alongside the likes of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Ndiaye Would Be Classic Man Utd Signing

When Man Utd have been at their best over the years, it’s usually when they take the best players from other Premier League clubs and add them to their squad to become stronger.

Ndiaye would be one of those classic signings, but it won’t come cheap. Everton are adamant they won’t lose him cheaply, and while he still has three years remaining on his contract, they have plenty of leverage to make a deal difficult to do.

But Ndiaye could potentially push for a deal, and Man Utd have shown that they are ready to stump up the cash whenever they deem it to be necessary. This is certainly one to watch going forward.

Tottenham Hotspur are working on a move for unhappy Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo, according to SoccerNews.

Tottenham chiefs are working hard on strengthening Roberto De Zerbi’s squad after a second successive disastrous Premier League season, which saw them finish 17th again and escape relegation to the Championship on the final day.

The Lewis Family have already confirmed that they can’t let these two seasons be repeated, with the north London outfit expected to back their manager and make a big splash in the summer transfer window when it opens on June 15.

Spurs appear to be looking at bolstering their squad in multiple positions, with two deals already agreed to strengthen a backline that conceded 57 goals in 38 top flight games this term.

Marcos Senesi will join Andy Robertson at the club after completing free transfer moves from Bournemouth and Liverpool respectively, unless there is a last-minute hitch, and the duo look to be two smart deals right at the beginning of the summer.

Tottenham need reinforcements in attack too, with the club not expected to sign Randal Kolo Muani on a permanent basis following a loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain, while doubts have been raised over the future of two more forwards in Richarlison and Mathys Tel.

Tottenham Have ‘Serious’ Interest in Cody Gakpo

According to Dutch-based outlet SoccerNews, Gakpo is keen to leave Liverpool following the exit of Arne Slot as manager, with doubts over whether he will be a preferred option for new boss Andoni Iraola on the left wing.

SoccerNews claim that Tottenham are ‘seriously’ interested in prising the Netherlands international away from Anfield this summer, just 12 months after he signed a new £250,000-a-week deal to remain on Merseyside.

Spurs and De Zerbi are hoping to convince the attacker to make the move to London, as they work on a plan that would see him leave Anfield for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham see Gakpo as the perfect player for their big summer rebuild, although they could face competition from other Premier League clubs, as well as teams in Spain and Germany.

Tottenham Progressing With Savinho Deal

Tottenham making a serious push for Gakpo would be a surprise unless they end up failing to secure a deal for top target Savinho from Manchester City.

Fabrizio Romano has already reported that a Spurs move for the Brazilian is progressing, 12 months on from another attempt to bring him to London from Manchester.

One insider has suggested that Tottenham have already lodged a contract offer worth £120,000-a-week to the 22-year-old, as they look to add him to their frontline ahead of next season.

Like Gakpo, Savinho favours playing from the left-hand side and it’s hard to see how Tottenham could sign both, unless he see one of them playing a different role.

One thing in Spurs’ favour is the fact that Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons are already at the club, and they could help convince their Dutch compatriot to join them despite a horrendous 2025-26 season.

Transfer fees have well and truly skyrocketed in recent years. A Premier League player that was worth £20 million in the mid-2000s may have been worth five, six or even seven times that amount in today’s market.

Even at the turn of the 2010s, £50 million felt like an astronomical amount of money for a Premier League club to spend on a player. Now we see it happen regularly, sometimes on footballers who aren’t anywhere near the world-class category.

Five Premier League footballers have been signed for £100 million or more at the time of writing: Jack Grealish to Manchester City (£100 million), Declan Rice to Arsenal (£105 million), Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea (£106.8 million), Moises Caicedo to Chelsea (£115 million), Florian Wirtz to Liverpool (£116 million) and Alexander Isak to Liverpool (£125 million). However, none of them would make the top 10 most expensive Premier League transfers of all time when you take inflation into consideration.

Courtesy of finance expert Kieran Maguire’s data, here are the 20 most expensive Premier League players ever based on inflation-adjusted transfer fees. You might want to grab a tissue before these figures are eye-watering.

21

Les Ferdinand | Newcastle United (1995)

Original fee: £6 million. Inflated fee: £117.6million

Perhaps Keegan was so prepared to let Cole go because he knew he had Les Ferdinand in his ranks. Having joined from QPR for £6 million, the move was seen as a major coup for Newcastle, who were looking to build a title-contending side under them and had just added one of the best front-men in the country to the squad. Ferdinand had been a consistent goalscorer at QPR, and expectations were high.

At his new club, Ferdinand quickly proved his worth, forming a lethal partnership with David Ginola and later Alan Shearer, and scoring 29 goals in his debut season.

20

Michael Essien | Chelsea (2005)

Original fee: £24.4 million. Inflated fee: £119.9 million

After winning the Premier League at a canter in the 2004/05 campaign, Jose Mourinho decided he wanted a midfielder who he could pair alongside Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard.

He settled on Michael Essien, who joined the club in a £24.4 million deal from Lyon. A combative footballer who could defend as well as attack, the Ghanaian played a pivotal role as Chelsea retained their Premier League title in the 2005/06 season.

Essien was plagued with injury problems towards the end of his nine-year stint at Chelsea, limiting his impact. But, by the time he had left the club in 2014, he had more than justified his price-tag.

19

Enzo Fernandez | Chelsea (2022)

Original fee: £106.8 million. Inflated fee: £120.2 million

Enzo Fernandez became a man in demand following his performances at the 2022 World Cup. He was given the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award following his brilliance in Qatar.

A month later, in the January transfer window, Chelsea made their move. The Blues desperately wanted to sign the Benfica star and, after a lengthy saga, they eventually got their man on transfer deadline day as he completed a £106.8m move, a then British transfer record.

Has Fernandez lived up to expectations? That is debatable. He has had his moments in a blue shirt, though, and remains a key player for the club going forward.

18

Angel Di Maria | Manchester United (2014)

Original fee: £59.7 million. Inflated fee: £121.3 million

Angel Di Maria has unquestionably been a wonderful player during his illustrious career. Now a World Cup winner, the Argentina winger will surely have regrets over how his ill-fated move to Manchester United panned out.

Quite simply, Louis van Gaal was completely the wrong manager for Di Maria, who was unable to flourish under a coach who wanted his United players to perform like robots. Fans at Old Trafford only saw flashes of brilliance from the former Real Madrid star, whose family were unfortunately subjected to a traumatic burglary incident during their time living in Manchester.

17

Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea (2022)

Original fee: £97.5 million. Inflated fee: £122 million

If there’s a player who knows a thing or two about demanding hefty transfer fees, it’s Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has made some serious moves in his career for some serious cash, and not many were more high-profile than when he joined Chelsea for the second time in 2021.

His signing turned out to be a disaster, though. Just months after signing, he gave an incredible interview where he hit out at manager Thomas Tuchel and underlined his unhappiness at the club.

The following summer, he completed a season-long loan move back to Inter Milan. After another season-long loan at Roma, he made a €30 million to Napoli in the summer of 2024.

16

Moises Caicedo | Chelsea (2023)

Original fee: £115 million. Inflated fee: £123.6 million

Moises Caicedo became one of the most expensive players in Premier League history when he joined Chelsea. The poster boy of Brighton’s buy-low, sell-high methodology in the transfer market, the Ecuadorian saw his value skyrocket during his time on the South Coast, which eventually led to his £115 million move in 2023 to Stamford Bridge.

Given that this was only three years ago, the inflated price was never going to be as dramatic as fees in the nineties or noughties. Yet, in a short space of time, the midfielder’s fee has risen by nearly £10 million, earning him a place at the bottom of this pile.

15

Didier Drogba | Chelsea (2004)

Original fee: £24 million. Inflated fee: £123.9 million.

Arguably the greatest player in Chelsea’s history, with the possible exception of Frank Lampard and John Terry, Didier Drogba was worth every penny of the £24 million that the Blues paid Marseille in 2004. In 381 appearances for the club, Drogba scored 163 goals – 104 of which were netted in the Premier League.

Would a club in 2025 pay £126 million for a 26-year-old Drogba? It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. There aren’t too many centre-forwards like Drogba in today’s game and there’s no doubt that he’d score plenty of goals in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

14

Alexander Isak | Liverpool (2025)

Original fee: £125 million. Inflated fee: £125 million

After winning the Premier League in 2024/25, Arne Slot and Liverpool decided to splash the cash. One of the positions they wanted to improve was at striker. The Reds signed Hugo Ekitike, while they also registered their interest in Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.

Made aware of Liverpool’s interest, Isak informed Newcastle that he wished to explore a move away from the club. The following month, he went on strike in an attempt to force through a move to the Reds and also made his unhappiness public. He finally got his way later that summer as Liverpool made him the third-most expensive player of all-time.

Big things were expected of Isak in his first campaign at the Reds, but he had a nightmare campaign, with fitness problems limiting him to just four goals. Time will tell whether he comes good.

13

Jack Grealish | Manchester City (2021)

Original fee: £100 million. Inflated fee: £125.1 million

Everything about Jack Grealish‘s move to Manchester City screamed expensive. Premier League clubs always have to pay a premium for top English talent, and at the time, there was no one with more spotlight on them than the Aston Villa captain. The Midlands club were not accepting anything less than his £100 million release clause which is now worth £125 million thanks to inflation.

With Grealish’s future at the Etihad now up in the air, there is no doubt that City will fail to recoup similar money as the Englishman has not performed to the level that the fee would’ve demanded of him.

12

Rio Ferdinand | Leeds United (2000)

Original fee: £18 million. Inflated fee: £131.8 million

Rio Ferdinand quickly established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League after making his debut for West Ham United in 1995. Five years later, Ferdinand joined Leeds United for £18 million. The move smashed the British transfer record, while he also became the world’s most expensive defender.

Leeds were confident that Ferdinand represented good value for money, and they were proved to be correct. Unfortunately for Leeds, their dire financial situation meant they were forced to sell the Englishman just a few years later. In 2022, he departed the club in a £30 million move to Manchester United.