Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool and Leicester… the players who should be bought this summer, like Alex Sandro and Julian Weigl
Each Premier League club will be reviewing their squad now, so our friends at Football Whispers assess who they should sign
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The focus for many clubs on the pitch may be ending the Premier League season well, but undoubtedly they’ll also be looking at how they can improve ahead of 2018/19.
Recruitment departments will be identifying players who can make the difference for next season and all 20 Premier League teams will undoubtedly be busy in the summer.
As part of a series, Football Whispers have picked the players who each top-flight side in England should target. This part looks at Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Leicester City
Claude Puel has turned things around at the King Power Stadium after replacing Craig Shakespeare. The Frenchman has lifted the Foxes from relegation candidates to top-half certainties.
Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy are looking once again like the players who helped Leicester win the Premier League in 2015/16.
Puel’s priority in the summer will be keeping hold of his stars – like the aforementioned duo and Wilfred Ndidi – although that may be easier said than done.
But there are still issues with the Foxes’ squad. They look short in numbers at right-back and while Marc Albrighton has deputised for Danny Simpson on occasion, they’d want a more established defender.
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Cedric Soares should be on Leicester’s summer wishlist, especially if Southampton go down. He worked with Puel at St Mary’s and became the Saints’ No.1 right-back under the Frenchman.
Speaking last season, Soares praised Puel for giving him a proper chance in the first team.
"In this moment I have much more stability and also trust from the staff,” he said. “I’m no longer playing one, two, three games and then coming out [of the team]. I'm always playing and this makes me work harder.
“When you are a winner and people give you confidence, you will give back everything when they show you that trust and they believe in you.”
Liverpool
The Reds may not have mounted a title challenge this season, but they’re only a few signings away from being contenders at the top of the Premier League.
Their much maligned defence was strengthened in January with the long-awaited arrival of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s front three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will put fear into even the best back line. The Egyptian has been a revelation since joining from Roma and is currently the Premier League’s top goalscorer with 28.
The arrival of Naby Keita in the summer will further improve Jurgen Klopp’s side but there are still questions over their current goalkeeping options, with both Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius coming in for criticism.
Roma stopper Alisson appears to be a Liverpool transfer target and he would be a smart buy.
The Roma No.1 looks set to be Brazil’s first choice at this summer’s World Cup and has been described as the ‘Pele of goalkeepers’ by the Selecao’s goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel.
He’s also attracting interest from Real Madrid, but if Liverpool can convince him to move to Anfield, he could be a game changer.
Manchester City
How do you improve one of the best teams the Premier League has ever seen? Manchester City have all but had the title sewn up since Christmas, and have lost only one league game so far this season.
Pep Guardiola has built a juggernaut that looks unstoppable and has a real chance of winning the Champions League too.
However, Fernandinho turns 33 in May and won’t last forever.
Replacing him will be top of City’s priorities this summer.
It looked like Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred was the man to follow in his fellow Brazilian’s footsteps by swapping Ukraine for the Etihad Stadium, but recent reports suggest Manchester United are leading the chase for the 25-year-old.
Guardiola should instead turn his attentions to Borussia Dortmund’s conductor Julian Weigl.
He will be familiar with the 22-year-old from his time in the Bundesliga. Like Fernandinho, he can control the game from deep.
Weigl has admirers from those high up in the game, with Toni Kroos tweeting that he was going to be a world-class player.
He has the ability to be one of the stars at this year’s World Cup, so should City want him, they may have to act quickly.
Manchester United
Despite his side sitting second in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho doesn’t appear to be enjoying life at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese boss has criticised a number of his players and has ostracised Luke Shaw, who will surely leave in the summer.
Despite the club taking up an option to extend Ashley Young’s contract by a further year, a first-choice left-back will be a priority when the transfer window opens.
Juventus’ Alex Sandro has been subject of transfer rumours surrounding a potential move for the last 12 months or so, first linked to Chelsea and more recently to Manchester United.
The Blues were reportedly put off by his asking price, but the Red Devils can definitely afford the £70million the Italians are demanding.
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The 27-year-old has proven himself as one of the best full-backs around and he’d add quality to a position no-one has properly made their own since Mourinho arrived in Manchester.
His power and pace bombing forward would add another dimension to the Red Devils.