These 10 guys are the best defensive midfielders available to sign this summer. Arsenal-bound Martin Zubimendi is the best on offer.
10) Douglas Luiz (Juventus)
The former Aston Villa midfielder left England to ease Profit and Sustainability pressures last summer. He had been superb in 2023/24, but his debut season in Italy was anything but.
Injuries kept him in and out of the Juventus squad and, when fit, he failed to make himself undroppable. Consistency eluded him, in part due to a lack of rhythm, and he never really got going. We all know what Luiz is capable of, and there’s rumoured interest from Nottingham Forest. Based on his Villa form, £30million – his reported asking price – could be a snip.
9) Alan Varela (Porto)
Varela is only 23 but still uncapped for Argentina, which is mildly baffling. He’s quietly become one of the best defensive midfielders in Portugal, and we expected more concrete interest from the continent by now.
AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City have all been linked at one juncture, but Porto aren’t in the mood to do business on the cheap, especially after tying him down to a five-year contract just weeks ago.
That alone makes him the least likely on this list to actually move this summer.
8) Thomas Partey (Arsenal)
Potentially available on a free transfer, Partey is in talks to extend his Arsenal contract. If he does leave, he could be the bargain of the window.
This was the first season since joining Arsenal that Partey has managed to stay fit throughout, which is typical in a contract year. Had his deal expired any other summer, Mikel Arteta would probably have let him walk.
Not only was Partey reliable for once, he also played extremely well, and quietly became one of Arsenal’s most important players.
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7) Joao Palhinha (Bayern Munich)
One of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League during his Fulham days, it just hasn’t happened for Palhinha at Bayern. He earned a deserved move last summer, but could be out the door again after just one season.
Fulham didn’t suffer without him and Palhinha barely featured for Bayern, starting just nine matches in all competitions and failing to hit 1,000 minutes across the campaign. At 29, he might prefer to stick around at a club like Bayern, where he’s only an injury or two away from regular minutes under Vincent Kompany.
6) Morten Hjulmand (Sporting)
Viktor Gyokeres is the headline-grabber at Sporting, on and off the pitch, reportedly telling the club he won’t play for them again, but Hjulmand is catching plenty of admiring glances of his own.
The Danish international scored against England at Euro 2024, but it’s the rest of his game that’s got Europe’s elite taking notice. He’s now Sporting captain and, at 25, has the tools to become a world-class holding midfielder if he picks the right next step.
5) Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe may reluctantly sanction Mainoo’s sale this summer to fund a rebuild, but only for a suitably ridiculous fee. Chelsea have been linked, though they already have more young midfielders than minutes to give them.
Mainoo was once untouchable at Old Trafford, but INEOS-era chaos has quickly changed that. It’s surprising that he hasn’t nailed down a role under Ruben Amorim – stylistically, he fits – but he’s not looked fully sharp this year.
A quiet summer, reportedly involving a bit of Italian culture, could be exactly what he needs. Clubs should be circling, because United might just let their most gifted academy graduate in decades leave for the right price.
4) Carlos Baleba (Brighton)
Brighton’s next mega-sale is likely to be Baleba, who’s quietly become one of the most complete young midfielders in the Premier League.
Clubs might not think he’s worth £80million, but Brighton think he is, and they’re rarely wrong. They won’t sell for a penny less, either. They’re not quite Benfica levels of shrewd, but they’ve set the standard in England.
3) Andrey Santos (Chelsea)
Expect to see a wave of Chelsea players spending time at Strasbourg, as Todd Boehly continues to treat the French club as his own personal Vitesse.
Santos was one of the most impressive midfielders in Ligue 1 this past season and is the only returning loanee Enzo Maresca has included in Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad, with Strasbourg team-mate Djordje Petrovic missing out.
Despite his huge ceiling, Chelsea seem happy to sell him to fund the next phase of their transfer binge, even if his replacement is worse and has less potential. Arsenal are reportedly sniffing around and could move if Partey doesn’t extend his contract.
2) Ederson (Atalanta)
There’s a good chance Ederson ends up in Saudi Arabia, with Club World Cup-bound Al Hilal keen to sign him from Atalanta.
They won’t have him in time for the tournament and struggled to convince top targets before the first summer deadline, so he’s high on their list. The 25-year-old often emerges as a Plan B for clubs chasing midfielders; Manchester City had him on standby if Tijjani Reijnders didn’t move, while United and Liverpool have been linked over the past year.
1) Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)
Technically, Zubimendi is available – and reportedly has an agreement with Arsenal.
£51million would be a very solid deal. That’s half the price of Declan Rice and he’s certainly not half the player. Arteta hopes Zubimendi can become his Rodri, and we don’t see any reason why he can’t be…
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