Barcola, Maza & more - The most in-demand players in this summer's transfer window

While the 25/26 season is now well and truly finished and the World Cup is in full swing, the new summer transfer window hasn’t technically even opened yet. Many of Europe’s top leagues don’t actually open until the start of July, when billions of Euros are set to move between thousands of club bank accounts as some of football’s biggest stars swap clubs. So ahead of the summer transfer window opening, which MVPs look most likely to make a big-money move in July or August? Based on the Transfermarkt Rumour Mill, here are the top 10 most valuable players that have so far garnered the most interest from other clubs.

Bradley Barcola - PSG - Four rumours

The joint-most valuable player to gain a huge amount of interest ahead of the summer transfer window officially opening in July is Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola. Although the France international boasts an impressive market value, he remains a peripheral figure in the French capital and may be on the move next season for more game time. As such, Arsenal, Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been heavily linked with his signature.

Junior Kroupi - Bournemouth - Four rumours

The other player with a market value of €70m and heavily linked with a move this summer is Bournemouth star Junior Kroupi. The French talent has gone from strength to strength on the south coast this season and even broken a few Premier League records along the way. As such, the 20-year-old talent has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and PSG.

Cody Gakpo - Liverpool - Four rumours

Another wide forward that could be on the move this summer is Liverpool star Cody Gakpo. The Dutch talent wasn’t at his best last season, with just 15 goals and assists for the Anfield side, and with plenty of options in attack, Liverpool could look to sell Gakpo to make room for their other star forwards. Especially if AC Milan, Newcastle or Tottenham are ready to pay the right price.

Felix Nmecha - Borussia Dortmund - Eight rumours

Few players have garnered as much interest since the start of the World Cup like Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha. Now an established starter for Julian Nagelsmann, Nmecha looks like the ideal solution in the middle of the pitch for a number of Europe’s biggest clubs. As such, he’s had no less than eight clubs linked with him since the start of June, including Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Ayyoub Bouaddi - Lille - Four rumours

Another midfielder that has been thrust into the limelight at the World Cups is Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi. The young talent has been a shining light for Morocco and has duly seen his name linked with moves to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal and, most notably, Ligue 1 giants PSG. However, it remains to be seen whether Lille are prepared to cash in on their star player this summer.

Said El Mala - FC Köln - Seven rumours

Perhaps one of the most in-demand players ahead of the summer window opening in July can be found in Said El Mala. The Bundesliga talent was set for a move to Brentford before turning the Premier League club down late on. That, perhaps, is due to the calibre of clubs linked with his signature this summer: Dortmund, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, to name just a few.

Ibrahim Maza - Bayer Leverkusen - Five rumours

Bayer Leverkusen are no strangers to selling young stars but even they may be surprised at the attention shown towards attacking midfielder Ibrahim Maza. However, after joining the club last year for just €12m and duly elbowing his way into the first team, Maza is showing all the promise and potential of former stars of the German club. Whether the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona or Manchester City are prepared to wait and see how he does next season or will be urged to act next month remains to be seen.

Khéphren Thuram - Juventus - Six rumours

While few would doubt that Khéphren Thuram was a bargain for Juventus when they signed him for just €20.6m in 2024, the midfielder has somewhat plateaued in Turin and with the Italian giants in need of money to rebuild their squad, a number of clubs - such as Galatasaray, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest - have all been heavily linked with a move for the Juventus star.

Dušan Vlahović - Juventus - Four rumours

In a similar vein, another star who will almost certainly depart Turin next month is centre forward Dušan Vlahović. Unlike Thuram, Vlahović hasn’t quite lived up to the billing, and with his contract set to expire this summer, it’ll simply be a case of waiting to see which club can offer the Serbian striker the best contract for next season. Or, perhaps, if Juventus can convince him to stay.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo - Lille - Four rumours

Another Lille talent who could be on the move this summer is Belgian star Matias Fernandez-Pardo. The young forward has thrived in Ligue 1 since making a €11.5m move in 2024, bagging 20 goals and assists in 51 appearances. As such, the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool and Dortmund could be tempted to make a move for the promising star, before the new season.