Premier League transfer news: Leny Yoro and Savinho ready to rock Manchester
With the 2024/25 Premier League season set to kick off on August 16, clubs are starting to finalise their squads for the upcoming campaign.
In this article, Sports News Blitz’s Michael Davey looks at five of the biggest Premier League signings of the summer transfer window so far - and rounds up other rumours flying around.
Leny Yoro – Lille to Manchester United, £52million
Manchester United spent big to acquire the exciting young Frenchman Leny Yoro, beating off stiff competition from European champions Real Madrid in the process.
Signed on a five-year deal with the option for an additional year, Yoro becomes the most expensive football player aged 18 or under in history.
He will don the number 15 at United, following in the footsteps of the great Nemanja Vidic.
Yoro came through the academy at Lille before making his debut aged 16 in 2022.
He made 60 appearances for Lille in total, scoring three goals, and earned himself a place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year last season.
As a centre-back, he was statistically one of the top-10 passers in the league and played the second-most minutes of any player.
With the injury-plagued Raphael Varane moving on, former captain Harry Maguire continuing to struggle for form, and the ageing Jonny Evans nothing more than a stop-gap solution, Yoro will likely partner Lisandro Martinez in the heart of United’s defence.
Quick on his feet and standing an imposing 6ft 2ins tall, manager Erik ten Hag will have high hopes for Yoro.
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Amadou Onana – Everton to Aston Villa, £50million
In their eighth signing of a busy summer, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa made Amadou Onana their second-most expensive signing ever.
With Everton experiencing financial difficulties after years of mismanagement, and in the midst of a protracted ownership saga, Villa geared up for their biggest season in decades by swooping for Onana in a £50million, five-year deal.
A defensive midfielder, the 22-year-old previously played for Hamburger SV and Lille before moving to Everton in 2022.
Onana made 72 appearances for the Toffees and scored four goals.
He has also represented Belgium 17 times, including at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024.
At 6ft 4ins, Onana is known for his combative style of play and strong tackling.
Thanks to a superb Premier League campaign last time out, Villa are playing in the Champions League this season for the first time since 1983.
Emery’s ambitious side are thus looking to bolster their squad ahead of what will be a gruelling season, and Onana most likely represents a smart replacement for Douglas Luiz who moved to Juventus in a £42million deal.
READ MORE: Everton transfer news: Seven highlights of Jarrad Branthwaite’s career so far
Max Kilman – Wolverhampton Wanderers to West Ham, £40million
West Ham started a new era with Julen Lopetegui at the helm by finally signing Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Max Kilman after a number of rejected offers.
Kilman signed on a seven-year deal for a hefty £40million.
Newcastle United were reportedly also in for the player, but it was ultimately the allure of reuniting with Lopetegui – who made him captain at Wolves after the departure of Ruben Neves - that drew Kilman to east London.
After coming through the ranks at Fulham, Kilman spent years playing in the National League before joining Wolves in 2019.
He went on to make 151 appearances and score three goals for them.
While uncapped by England in football, the 27-year-old has prior experience in the national futsal team.
With David Moyes out the door and a compelling rebuild on the cards, Lopetegui is no doubt looking to bolster his defensive stocks ahead of the new season.
Given his leadership qualities, calmness under pressure, and high degree of technicality, Kilman represents an astute signing for the Hammers.
Savinho – Troyes to Manchester City, £30million
With an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League crown in the offing this season, Manchester City completed their first signing in Brazilian winger Savinho.
Signed on a five-year deal for £30million from Troyes, the transfer has not been without controversy.
As Troyes’ record signing, Savinho never actually made an appearance for the club. Instead, he was successively loaned out to PSV and Girona.
In the meantime, Troyes suffered back-to-back relegations much to the dismay of their fans.
With City Football Group owning each of Troyes, Girona, and City, the saga is illustrative of a multi-club model that is coming under increasing scrutiny.
Highly regarded from an early age, Savinho started out at Atletico Mineiro, becoming their youngest league player before being snapped up by the City Football Group.
In the 2023/34 season, Savinho helped Girona qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history, scoring nine and assisting 10 goals in the process.
Recently, the 20-year-old represented Brazil at the 2024 Copa America.
A joyful player, Savinho is known for making use of the full width of the pitch and offers a distinct Brazilian flair for taking players on.
With City well-stocked in attacking areas and the Premier League representing a massive step-up in quality, manager Pep Guardiola will likely ease Savinho into his plans.
That said, if Savinho can make anything like the impact that Jeremy Doku did last season, especially in the Catalan’s notoriously meticulous system, then those in the City camp will be satisfied.
Archie Gray – Leeds United to Tottenham Hotspur, £30million
With Leeds United inevitably needing to balance the books after a heartbreaking failed promotion bid last term, Tottenham decided to invest big in the talent of Archie Gray.
In a deal reportedly worth £30million, Gray has put pen to paper on a contract tying him to the Lilywhites until 2030.
While a disaster for Leeds, both from a sporting perspective and considering Gray’s heritage at the club, Spurs have made a significant statement by signing one of the top young talents in the country.
Voted the EFL Championship Young Player of the Year last season off the back of 44 impressive outings, the 18-year-old Gray is known for his composure on the ball and quick feet.
Highly confident in his abilities, Gray has also demonstrated useful versatility in playing both in central midfield and across the right-hand side of defence.
It is expected that those at Tottenham will be patient with Gray and that he will be eased into manager Ange Postecoglou’s exciting plans.
The hope will be that, by carefully managing the pressure, Gray will blossom into one of the finest players in the division in the near future.
Latest from the rumour mill
Manchester United continue to vie with AC Milan for Youssouf Fofana, with Monaco having reportedly doubled their asking price for the midfielder to £30million.
United remain keen on Matthijs De Ligt. Personal terms have been agreed, but Bayern Munich are holding out for over £40million for the centre-back.
Another player on United’s radar is Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte. As the top tackler in Ligue 1, the midfielder is valued at over £50million by PSG.
United have also been linked with PSG attacker Xavi Simons and Toffees defender Jarrad Branthwaite, both of whom would command fees in excess of £70million.
Across Manchester, City are reportedly lining up deals for PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze if Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne decide to move to the Saudi Pro League.
Tottenham are also interested in signing Eze, who has been valued at £70million by Palace.
Perhaps with one eye on the departure of Eze, Palace are discussing a fee with Marseille for winger Ismaila Sarr.
Elsewhere, Liverpool are mulling over a £50million deal for Real Sociedad’s winger Takefusa Kubo and Arsenal have made offers in the region of £60million for Sporting Lisbon striker Victor Gyokeres, although that is some way short of his £86million release clause.
Chelsea are fighting Barcelona for Nico Williams, with one of the stars of Spain’s title-winning UEFA Euro 2024 campaign likely to cost upwards of £50million.
The Blues are also interested in Villareal’s £20million goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
Aston Villa are considering making a move for Joao Felix, believed to be valued at £50million by parent club Atletico Madrid, while West Ham are hopeful of signing striker Jhon Duran from the Villans for less than their £35million asking price.
READ MORE: Scottish transfer news: Kasper Schmeichel joins Celtic, Rangers sign Igamane
