A transfer window that has been smoldering away in recent weeks has burst into flames over recent days. Two of the biggest names in world football over the past decade have moved, Harry Kane ending his long association with Tottenham by joining Bayern Munich before Neymar agreed to a €90 million switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal, one that will restore his place as the most expensive player of all time both in terms of record single fee and combined purchase cost.
It would take a dramatic set of events to force those two superstars down the playbill but that is exactly what Liverpool and Chelsea have delivered in their pursuit of Moises Caicedo, the Reds seemingly gazumping Todd Boehly et al for the Brighton midfielder only for the 21-year-old to express his clear preference for a move to Stamford Bridge. He is not alone in being attracted to west London with Romeo Lavia wanted by both clubs, seemingly favoring Chelsea but with Liverpool out to convince the Southampton youngster that he would be better served under Jurgen Klopp's tutelage.
Between them Kane, Caicedo and Neymar seem to tell the tale of the summer in microcosm: the ever-shrinking pool of elite striking talent, a Premier League where nine-figure transfers may soon be the norm for the best of the best and an emergent Saudi Pro League that, far from constituting an existential threat to Europe's richest sides, is actually a balm to their wage bills. The deals also promise to have significant ripple effects on the final 18 days of the window. It's those that we'll examine below:
PSG build a frontline for Mbappe with Neymar leaving
Getting €90 million for a player they thought might not be scrubbed from the wage bill until his contract expires in 2025 is enough of a success for Paris Saint-Germain that it is eminently conceivable that they won't sign a replacement for Neymar. Certainly, if they knew that they wouldn't get one they still would have countenanced his sale to Al-Hilal even though it means that only one of last season's theoretically devastating front three is still standing, Lionel Messi having departed for Inter Miami. For a time it seemed like none of the three would be suiting up in PSG colors this season but as the Brazilian was working towards a move out of the Parc des Princes, Kylian Mbappe was being brought back into the fold. Whether he is actually going to extend a contract that expires next summer remains to be seen. One thing is clear, however.
PSG are giving Mbappe just the sort of attack that he wants. His France international teammate Ousmane Dembele has arrived from Barcelona for just €50 million while the addition of Goncalo Ramos from Benfica on an initial loan with a buy option set at €80 million means that Luis Enrique has a true number nine. That is good news for Mbappe, who is often said to favor a wide role to leading the line.
Add Randal Kolo Muani into the mix alongside summer arrivals Lee Kang In and Marco Asensio and PSG have an attack that, while nowhere near as historically garlanded, could theoretically convince Mbappe that he can achieve his footballing vision in his hometown.
What do Spurs do with the Kane money?
That was something that Kane concluded he could not do as he departed Tottenham for one of Europe's storied elite, a rerun of the Gareth Bale saga of a decade ago. This time there will be no outlandish suggestions that Daniel Levy has "sold Elvis and bought The Beatles," the business Spurs have already done this summer has been, James Maddison aside, almost deliberately low-key. That is not the same as cheap, the arrival of Alejo Veliz from Rosario Central taking their spending to £171.2 million just before they took in around £90 million for Kane.
Sources with knowledge of Tottenham's recruitment plans for the striker position insist that Spurs remain calm and will not be rushed into making an immediate move in an area of the pitch where they have Richarlison and Heung-min Son. It doesn't help them that their primary target in the event of Kane's departure has already been snared, Rasmus Hojlund joining Manchester United earlier this month. There are other options on their radar including Lille's Jonathan David, who Atletico Madrid are looking to target next summer, but there has been no hive of activity.
Waiting to January would give them a chance to assess their options and their fit in Ange Postecoglu's new system, one that on first viewing against Brentford is going to ask very different questions of Tottenham players than Antonio Conte's did. Biding their time would also mean allowing Ivan Toney, the most obvious Premier League goal-getter who has been linked to Tottenham, to serve out his suspension before moving on with 18 months left on his contract. In the meantime, unless the deal is right, Spurs might just be prepared to stand pat.
Where does Tyler Adams stand in the DM shakeup?
One player who will expect to be on the move is Tyler Adams, who seemed bound to join Chelsea before the price of Caicedo went up and even Todd Boehly's great jamboree of expenditure appeared to conclude it had limits ... before then continuing to slug it out with Liverpool for Lavia. Though it's a brave man who describes a move to Chelsea as shrewd, given how they have built their squad over the last 12 months, you could make a case for the USMNT captain being a neat fit under Mauricio Pochettino, who would likely have valued his tenacity and would surely have needed his experience in a midfield big on bodies, light on Premier League nous.
It may be that a move to a big six side is off the cards, particularly if Liverpool sneak Lavia out of Chelsea's grasp, but it is unlikely that Adams will be short on suitors between now and the closure of the window. Aston Villa are admirers of the 24-year-old, who has been out with a hamstring injury since last season. The most obvious Premier League move, though, might be to the team who are currently flush with cash after parting ways with their starting midfield from last season in deals that could ultimately be worth £170 million.
Brighton, just doing smart stuff
Then again Brighton didn't make £111 million profit on Caicedo by just making the obvious move. Adams would certainly cover for the Ecuadorian's ball-winning qualities; he averaged nearly a whole extra tackle per 90 minutes though he did so in a Leeds side that saw a lot less of the ball. With a £20 million release clause in his contract due to last season's relegation, he is also well priced, a key component in all of the Seagulls' business. Naturally, then, Roberto De Zerbi's side have immediately been linked with 19-year-old Lille midfielder Carlos Baleba.
By rights, Brighton should find themselves in the same bind that West Ham have been locked in for most of the summer. Everyone knows that they're cash rich -- that will happen when Chelsea have effectively tripled your turnover in the past 12 months -- but they don't find themselves looking at James Ward-Prowse or Scott McTominay and thinking "How much?" Lille probably will quote Brighton a much higher fee for Baleba than they would if Red Bull Salzburg or Atalanta came calling but the inflated demands for that player are of a different level to buying late 20s homegrown talent from the Premier League and Championship.
It wouldn't be entirely shocking if Tony Bloom et al took one bigger swing on a midfielder who could immediately step into the Caicedo-shaped hole in their team -- for once they don't have a replacement in waiting like they did when Yves Bissouma went to Tottenham -- but the most likely approach they'll take with their even expanding coffers is the one that has served them so well over recent years, a series of shrewd bets in the £10 million to £20 million range, more of which pay off than not. They might not be the team who makes the biggest splash in what is left of the summer but you can be confident they will have the player everyone wants in 12 months' time.
