Branthwaite, De Bruyne to stay as Liverpool miss out on Real Madrid man

We have been in this game long enough to smell absolute doo-doo. That doesn’t mean we will stop writing about it, mind.

Here are 10 transfer rumours we think will amount to nothing. We also have 10 we think will actually happen. Read that after, obvs.

Jarrad Branthwaite – Everton to Manchester United

It’s very simple: Everton want £70million for Jarrad Branthwaite and Man Utd do not want to pay that. If there was a window of opportunity to get him for less, it would have been last month when the Toffees were desperately searching for funds to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Now that has passed and Everton have got big money from Aston Villa for Amadou Onana, a compromise is a lot less likely.

You might assume that Jake O’Brien to Goodison Park is a ‘Man Utd boost’ but it isn’t really. They are better prepared if Branthwaite leaves but the addition of the Lyon defender does not soften Everton’s stance, nor does it lower the asking price for their star centre-back.

Having spent big on Leny Yoro and paid £36.5m for Joshua Zirkzee, while needing a new midfielder or two, and Matthijs de Ligt being there as a cheaper alternative, it feels highly unlikely that Man Utd will cough up £70m for Branthwaite.

Joao Felix – Atletico Madrid to Aston Villa

Every summer, there is a Premier League club who are reportedly keen on signing Joao Felix and it’s Aston Villa’s turn this year. The lure of Champions League football and their giddiness in the transfer market makes this a good match. But maybe Felix isn’t as good as the transfer links indicate.

He has flopped at Atletico Madrid and reportedly fallen out with Diego Simeone, struggled at Chelsea and Barcelona, yet remains linked with top clubs across Europe. His agent Jorge Mendes is great at his job and you can tell.

Nevertheless, it has been reported by reliable sources that Felix is an Aston Villa target and Unai Emery will surely be targeting a new forward with Moussa Diaby off to Saudi Arabia and Jhon Duran clamming for West Ham United.

It is difficult to see Felix staying at Atleti, though any exit will surely be a loan. That makes it semi-realistic but a transfer to Villa Park? We are not buying it.

Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, or Alexander Isak – Newcastle United to anyone

PSR is a big factor in our Branthwaite section and it again comes to the fore when justifying why Newcastle won’t sell any of their three best players. In a nutshell, that last part of that sentence justifies it anyway.

Bruno Guimaraes had a £100m release clause but it expired earlier this summer. Alexander Isak is happy at St James’ Park and would cost well over that much. And Gordon is too important to sell – even if the Magpies toyed with the idea last month. Those talks with Liverpool could be detrimental with the player’s head potentially turned, however, he is too expensive for the Reds to justify signing with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and more already in Arne Slot’s squad.

Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City to Saudi Arabia

Man City’s 2024/25 season has a Last Dance feel to it. Kevin De Bruyne and Pep Guardiola are now in the final year of their contracts and are synonymous with the club’s gargantuan success in recent years. Instead of blowing things up by trading/releasing their aging superstars to tank as the Chicago Bulls did, De Bruyne, Pep and co. will leave before everything crashes and burns, expulsion style.

We think De Bruyne moving to MLS is more likely than to the Saudi Pro League, anyway.

Martin Zubimendi – Real Sociedad to anyone

The boy bleeds blue and white. Whether it is Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Arsenal or Man Utd, it looks like Martin Zubimendi will snub interest to stay at his boyhood club and that is something we respect massively.

Now I have given the kiss of death, be prepared for Zubimendi to join Al Hilal in a few weeks.

Rodrygo – Real Madrid to Liverpool

A Real Madrid exit for Rodrygo actually makes a fair bit of sense. Kylian Mbappe has joined, as has Brazilian wonderkid Endrick, who Los Blancos will feel has a higher ceiling than his Premier League-linked compatriot. Joselu has p**sed off to Qatar at least.

Minutes won’t be hard to come by for Rodrygo but they will certainly be less frequent than they have been under Carlo Ancelotti. It takes a lot for a player of his calibre to ask to leave Real Madrid, though, so don’t be surprised to see him stick it out.

Rodrygo has been most fiercely linked with Liverpool but a move to Anfield will surely only come to fruition if Mohamed Salah is sold. That feels unlikely with rumours pretty much non-existent. Again, there is too much depth up front for Liverpool to spend £100m on Rodrygo.