Crystal Palace are said to be moving towards the signing of Zavier Gozo, with talks over the Real Salt Lake winger described as advanced. The 19-year-old American is expected to cost in the region of $15 million, or £11.1 million, as the Premier League club look to secure one of the more sought-after young attackers linked with Europe this summer.

According to the report, Aston Villa and Atlético Madrid were also among the clubs to show interest, but Palace have emerged as the leading contenders for his signature. Gozo’s rise has accelerated quickly since his breakthrough 2025 campaign, when he established himself as a regular starter for Real Salt Lake and finished the season with 31 appearances and seven goal contributions.

He has carried that form into the current season, producing six goals and four assists in only 16 appearances. That output earned him a place in the 2026 MLS All-Star selection and has strengthened the sense that a move away could now be imminent.

If the transfer is completed, Gozo would arrive at a club already familiar with USMNT centre-back Chris Richards. The defender was central to Palace’s Conference League-winning run, though he missed the final through injury, and would offer a useful reference point as Gozo adjusts to English football.

The winger would also be entering a Premier League environment that already includes several Americans, among them Antonee Robinson at Fulham, Tyler Adams at Bournemouth and Brenden Aaronson at Leeds United. The draft also notes that Richards, Robinson and Adams have become permanent fixtures in Pochettino’s XI and featured for the USMNT on home soil this summer.

Palace finished 15th last season and saw Oliver Glasner leave at the end of the campaign. Under Pierre Sage, and with Europa League football ahead in 2026-27, the club are aiming for a stronger year. Gozo, who last represented the U-23 side during the November international break, has not yet made his senior USMNT debut but will be hoping to push into Pochettino’s plans for September and October, when Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada are next on the schedule.

Liverpool are still waiting to add to the squad after Andoni Iraola said the club “needs more players” last month, and the uncertainty around Curtis Jones has only sharpened that need.

Even after a major outlay last summer, the roster still looks in need of significant work. The 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in Chicago exposed a lack of defensive cover, while the prospect of Jones joining Inter Milan would leave the midfield looking even thinner.

Inter are still pursuing a deal for the Scouse midfielder, who made 34 Premier League appearances last season. Most supporters may not see his departure as a crisis, but without him Iraola’s options in the centre of the pitch would become rather limited.

That leaves Liverpool with room to consider alternatives before the window closes. Several names have been linked as possible solutions, with Alex Scott among the most intriguing. Liverpool are believed to be interested in the English midfielder after he turned down a contract extension on the south coast, although Bournemouth insist he is not for sale. Scott has already enjoyed a breakout season and combines carrying power with strong work out of possession. He also worked under Iraola at the Vitality Stadium, which would give the move a familiar edge.

Kaishū Sano offers a different profile. The Mainz midfielder impressed at the World Cup, where he played three times for Japan and scored against Brazil, and he has since built a reputation as a tireless holding midfielder. Liverpool already have Wataru Endō on the books, but Sano’s positional discipline and pressing intensity would suit Iraola’s system.

Chema Andrés is another option. The 21-year-old left Real Madrid for Stuttgart and made 39 appearances across all competitions last season. Standing at 6’3”, he has the physical presence and control in possession that could make him a long-term fit in midfield.

Manu Koné also remains in the conversation. The Roma midfielder impressed for France this summer and has shown composure, passing quality and defensive intelligence. Injury concerns may explain the quieter transfer buzz, but Liverpool could still move if Jones departs.

If no deal materialises, Liverpool may simply promote from within. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai look the likeliest opening-day starters, with Trey Nyoni climbing the depth chart.

Phil Foden has described the early changes brought in under Enzo Maresca, stressing that the new set-up remains close to what Manchester City knew before, even if there are clear adjustments in place.

Speaking before City’s second preseason friendly, Foden said: “It’s very similar to how we played under Pep, but there are still things that are a bit different,” Foden said prior to City’s second preseason friendly. “I don’t want give too much away of how we play. Maybe the defending’s a bit different the way we set up.

“We have different ideas about how to play out from the back. A different variety of things on the ball. Different things, but we are very comfortable because we want to build from the back and try to create, so I think it suits everyone really well.

“I’ve found it good, to be honest. All I have known is Pep Guardiola so to go to a new manager is a fresh start. I am enjoying it. I am enjoying the new coaching staff and I like the ideas and way we are playing. I am excited for the new season and hopefully we can have a really good year.”

City head into 2026-27 with the clear aim of reclaiming the Premier League title in Maresca’s first season in charge. The club have won the league six times in the past seven seasons, but have finished without the trophy in each of the last two.

For Foden, the challenge is twofold. He wants to return to the level that made him the Premier League’s best player when City last won the title in 2023-24, while also becoming a more senior voice in the dressing room.

“I think I have to be really [a leader],” Foden revealed. “Obviously I have been in the club for so long, I am one of the last remaining players to have been here for a long time. So I think have to be this season, one of the leaders, one of the captains or in and around it for sure. I am looking forward to that new responsibility and trying to take leadership [on].

“What [Maresca] wants from me at the moment is to be an example to the young lads on tour,” Foden added. “To try to train well, keep my head down and work hard and set a good example to the young lads. That’s what I have been trying to do, really.”

The squad has already lost some senior figures this summer. Bernardo Silva and John Stones departed, while Rodri could also move on as interest from Barcelona and particularly Real Madrid grows.

Foden, who captained City in their preseason opener against Inter Milan, is now 26 and far beyond the stage of being treated as a young prospect. After the inconsistency of the last two years, he knows 2026-27 must be a productive season rather than another missed opportunity.

His output has dropped from the level he hit during City’s dominant run, including the club’s first Champions League title in 2022-23. More recently, his role has been reduced, and although he made a strong start to 2025-26, he started only three of 14 Premier League matches from February until City were overtaken by Arsenal in the title race.

Across the last two seasons, he has scored 23 goals in all competitions and recorded 14 assists, numbers that underline how far he has to go to match his peak form again.