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Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold, 20, England & Liverpool
Liverpudlian, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been an absolute revelation since breaking into Jurgen Klopp's starting-eleven at Anfield during the 16/17 PL season. He has been on the books at the club since he was a young boy and is, without doubt, one of the best players to have emerged from their academy in recent years.
The pacey right-back is coming off the back of an absolutely incredible season. His Liverpool side was unlucky not to pick up an EPL title, (losing out to Manchester City by one point on the final day), but quickly put the disappointment to bed when they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 0 to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy last Saturday evening.
Alexander-Arnold ended the season with 16 assists in 40 games (in all competitions), and was instrumental in Liverpool's remarkable Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona, a game in which it was the Liverpudlian's quick-thinking from a corner that set up the winning goal in a 4-3 second-leg reversal.
He has since gone on to oust Tottenham's Kieran Trippier from the England squad and will have his eyes firmly set on Kyle Walker's number two jersey.
There is no transfer news regarding this player. He is at his home town club, has just lifted the biggest prize in club football, and would likely set back any potential suitors a cool £130 million - truly one of global football's next superstars.
Left-back: Ben Chilwell, 22, England & Leicester City
Ben Chilwell emerged from Leicester City's academy. Following a successful stint on loan at Huddersfield Town during the 15/16 season, the pacey defender was called back to the King Power Stadium and set the challenge of making the left-back position his own.
Since then, the young Englishman has been in steady ascension, and his performances for both Leicester City and England have earned him many admirers... and not just in the UK.
The 22-year-old is a constant performer up and down the left flank, and he gives both his club and international side a lot of energy in both attack and defense.
Chilwell is a disciplined player who doesn't pick up many cards. He also reads the game well and is a good interceptor of the ball. He can still look to improve on his tackle-success rate (56%) but that hasn't stopped him catching the eye of some of the biggest clubs in world football this season.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United and even Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid have all been linked with him since the transfer window reopened, so his future, post-Nations League, is anyone's guess at this point...
Center-back: Manuel Akanji, 23, Switzerland & Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund's Manuel Akanji is fresh off the back of an outstanding campaign with the German club. He was brought to Signal Aduna Park from FC Basel during the 17/18 transfer window and has gone on to become a key part of the side's recent successes.
He is a strong and powerful presence at the back but there is plenty more to his game than just that - Akanji boasts a pass success rate of 92.9% in the Bundesliga this season and is an intelligent player who reads the game well.
He has already made 15 appearances for the Swiss national side, and he will be hoping to help the team to Nations League glory this month after narrowly missing out on the Bundesliga after his side, Dortmund, crumbled under the pressure of a chasing Bayern Munich outfit during the final months.
Akanji himself has come out and stated his desire to one day play at Old Trafford, and he would be a marked improvement on most of the center-halves currently at the Manchester club. However, there have been no links in the press regarding such a transfer, so it's more than likely he'll be lining up in yellow and black for the Dortmund faithful again next season.
Might be worth keeping an eye on though...
Center-back: Matthijs De Ligt, 19, Netherlands & Ajax Amsterdam
Ajax's captain marvel is fresh off the back of an outstanding campaign with the Dutch giants. He has been at the club since his early days, has cleaned up all major personal honors on offer to a young player at Ajax, and is the youngest debutant to don the famous orange shirt of the Netherlands since 1945.
This season, De Ligt captained his Ajax side to a league and cup double in Holland, and was unfortunate to miss out on a Champions League final, with only the brilliance of an inspired Lucas, who scored a hat-trick for Spurs in the semi-final, keeping him from taking the field at the Wanda Metropolitano to duel with compatriot Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool for a shot at Europe's biggest prize.
He is quite simply the most sought-after defender in world football this summer. His all-action displays at the back, coupled with his leadership abilities and commanding presence - especially at such a young age - have helped shape him into one of football's global stars already.
De Ligt has been linked with a host of European giants already this summer, and it appears that Ajax is prepared to let him leave. The only question that remains is where he will end up: Barcelona? Manchester United? Liverpool? Juventus? Real Madrid? Only the young lad himself knows the answer to that...
