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August 9th is the deadline day in England. Thursday will be the last and final day for the Premier League clubs to sign players and get set for the season kick-off on Friday.
While clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool seem to be done with their squad-strengthening procedures, there are still some teams on the lookout for their ideal candidates. And this is what makes the deadline day a one to always watch out for.
Sky Sports will be ready with their reporters stationed at all the 20 clubs, waiting for any signs of an incoming player. The fans, including the Manchester City and Liverpool faithful, will be constantly checking twitter for transfer updates. To think that the deadline day is taking place just a day before the start of the 2018/19 campaign makes things even more exciting.
Here are five transfers that are bound to happen on deadline day:
#5 Yerry Mina to Everton
Yerry Mina was one of the two signings made by Barcelona in January. However, since his €11.80 million move to the Camp Nou, the Colombian hasn't been able to find much playing time, with Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique ahead of him.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Spanish club since the start of the transfer window, but after he emerged as Colombia's star at the 2018 World Cup at Russia the demand increased.
The former Palmeiras player has been linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspurs, Everton, Lyon, etc. Mina was even offered to Manchester United along with Andre Gomes and £45 million in exchange for Paul Pogba by Barcelona according to reports.
Despite all the rumours, Mina's future hasn't been sorted yet. With the two main suitors of the player being from England and the transfer deadline here, we could be hearing something on this soon.
The Red Devils seem to be hesitant to move for the Blaugrana defender, with doubts on whether he will be an upgrade to the players they have in hand hovering. Everton, on the other hand, looks like the more possible destination for the Colombian.
Some journalists even claim that Mina to Everton is a done deal, with the two clubs agreeing on a €32 million fee.
However, the Toffees face competition from Ligue 1 side Lyon who are set to play the UEFA Champions League this season.
#4 Jack Grealish to Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa player Jack Grealish has attracted interest from various clubs, with London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham being the frontrunners. With the transfer window closing in two days, we are yet to come to a conclusion on which club the 22-year-old will be playing for next season.
Chelsea have been actively interested in the attacking midfielder, but according to several media outlets including Sky Sports their rivals Tottenham have made a £25 million bid for the player.
It has to be noted that Spurs haven't bought a single player this summer and it would be disappointing for the fans to not see a new face at the club after the transfer window. For the very same reason, the chances of this deal going through is high.
Chelsea, on the other side, are also linked with Mateo Kovacic and Nabil Fekir. Hence, losing out on Grealish won't be a big blow for the Blues.
#3 Mateo Kovacic to Chelsea
Mateo Kovacic joined Real Madrid from Inter Milan for a fee of €31 million in 2015. However, since his move to the Bernabeu, the Croatian has been deprived of regular playing time leaving him frustrated. Over the three seasons with Los Blancos, Kovacic has only made 73 appearances in the La Liga.
After three years at the Spanish club, the midfielder has decided that a move away would be the most ideal thing to do for him to do at the moment. The 24-year-old is slowly moving towards his peak and needs to be starting for a top team in order to achieve his full potential.
If the recent reports are to be believed, Real Madrid have offered the Croat to Chelsea on a loan deal with an option to buy later in order to convince the Premier League side to sell goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to them.
New Chelsea manger Maurizio Sarri is determined to add a new midfielder to his squad before the end of the transfer window and Kovacic is definitely not a bad option. The former Dinamo Zagreb player can operate as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder and attacking midfielder.
By the looks of it, Kovacic could be joining the Blues on Thursday.
#2 Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea
Another deadline signing by Chelsea? The Blues' number one Thibaut Courtois has refused to join the club for training after his break following his World Cup semi-final run with Belgium. The 26-year-old has his heart set on moving toReal Madrid and wants Chelsea to let him leave.
While the Premier League club might be forced to sell their custodian they are linked with a number of other goalkeepers in the market, Stoke's Jack Butland and Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arrizabalaga being two of them.
Various reports that came out on Tuesday claim that Chelsea have triggered Arrizabalaga's £71million release clause and the player is subject to a medical on Wednesday. If the deal goes through, it will see the 23-year-old Spaniard breaking the record for the most expensive goalkeeper currently held by Liverpool's new signing Alisson Becker.
#1 Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United have been actively pursuing a new centre-back this summer. Yerry Mina, Harry Maguire, Jerome Boateng and Toby Alderweireld are four names that are most linked with the club.
However, Tottenham's Alderweireld is said to be the primary target for Mourinho with the team willing to pay a big amount for the Belgian. It still remains to be known if Manchester United Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is willing to meet Spurs' asking price of £60 million.
Talks between the two clubs are expected to take place over Wednesday and Thursday. Mourinho really wants a new centre-back before the start of the season and that could see the club agreeing to pay the astronomical asking price for Alderweireld before completing his signing on deadline day.
Another point to be taken note of is that Leicester City have made a move for Dinamo Zagreb defender Filip Benkovic. This could mean that Tottenham might sign Harry Maguire if Alderweireld joins Manchester United.
