The summer transfer window opened on 1 June and clubs are already starting to strengthen their squads for the 2025/26 campaign. Here, football writer Alex Keble selects five exciting attacking stars who could be heading to the Premier League.
This is shaping up to be a summer of major attacking signings in the Premier League - and perhaps even the birth of a new generation of superstars.
After the departure of Kevin De Bruyne from the competition, and with Manchester City the only member of the top four from 2024/25 with a world-class striker in their ranks, there are a number of gaps to fill.
That should change in this transfer window, with a series of high-profile No 9s and No 10s reportedly in the sights of Premier League clubs.
Here, we look at five emerging stars who could soon be plying their trade in the top flight; five players who could, two months from now, form the basis of a new-look Premier League.
Viktor Gyokeres
Arguably the most sought-after striker in Europe right now has come a long way since struggling at Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City as a youngster.
Gyokeres exploded into life under Ruben Amorim at Sporting, developing into an all-round centre-forward capable of scoring pretty much any type of goal.
The 27-year-old is as good in the air or with his back to goal as he is driving into space; as confident with one-touch finishes on either foot as he is creating space in the box all on his own.
It’s a versatility that has seen Gyokeres net an incredible 39 goals in 33 matches in the Primeira Liga last season, and a further six goals in eight games in the UEFA Champions League.
Indeed across his two seasons in Portugal, Gyokeres has hit Erling Haaland-level numbers: 79 goals in 83 matches in the Primeira Liga and Champions League.
Not that Gyokeres is particularly similar to Haaland. He can certainly play like the Man City striker at times – he possesses pace, good movement in behind and a killer instinct – but Gyokeres is considerably more effective linking play outside the box than the Norwegian.
The caveat is that Gyokeres has only shone in Portugal and in the Championship, with Coventry City. The Premier League represents a huge step up in quality, speed and physicality.
Benjamin Sesko
He might not have the goalscoring attributes of Gyokeres, but 22-year-old Sesko has the potential to blossom into one of Europe’s best strikers.
Sesko scored 21 goals in 45 matches in all competitions for RB Leipzig last season, which includes 13 in the Bundesliga and four in six Champions League matches.
His brace against Juventus in the league phase marked a moment of maturity for Sesko, who has progressed steadily since arriving from RB Salzburg in the summer of 2023.
Comparisons with Haaland were inevitable, not least because Sesko is similarly tall at 6ft 4in, fast and powerful in the penalty area.
He is perhaps a little raw, however, and after scoring only 13 times in the Bundesliga, the prospect of leading the line for a top Premier League club could bring unwanted pressure for a young No 9 who isn’t yet consistent in front of goal.
But Sesko has always been mindful of his own development, reportedly turning down the chance to make a big move to the Premier League last summer in favour of continuing his learning at Leipzig.
If he feels ready this summer, who are we to doubt him?
Hugo Ekitike
Ekitike is the real deal. The 22-year-old scored 15 goals and assisted eight more in 33 Bundesliga games for Eintracht Frankfurt last season, but there is more to his game than those numbers suggest.
Not many No 9s can match Ekitike for creativity or powerful, weaving dribbles through the lines. He created 44 chances, the second-highest total in the division among centre-forwards, and attempted 126 take-ons, the fifth-most among all players and first among strikers.
Ekitike is silky in the dribble and inventive with his passing and has all the attributes of a modern No 10 – and that’s before we get on to his impressive goalscoring stats.
Ekitike’s rise has been swift and dramatic since becoming first-choice striker after Omar Marmoush left for Man City in January, which might prompt some to balk at a reported transfer fee of around £80million for a player with just one full season of senior football under his belt.
But the potential is clear. Ekitike is destined for the top - and the kind of glamorous, skilful player the Premier League needs more of.
Rayan Cherki
Another player to blossom over the last 12 months is 22-year-old Cherki, a Lyon academy product who after several seasons in and out of the team was a steady presence in 2024/25.
He contributed 19 goals or assists in only 22 starts in Ligue 1, as well as a further 12 from 11 starts in the UEFA Europa League: elite numbers that have drawn the attention of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
And rightly so. Cherki is regularly compared to Lionel Messi, mainly because his short build and mazy close dribbling style are reminiscent of the Argentinian. He certainly has a Messi-like ability to wriggle out of tight spaces and break open a game all on his own.
But unlike Messi, Cherki has a playfulness to his game, regularly attempting tricks and skills to dazzle defenders. It’s an increasingly rare sight in modern football and a quality that will endear him to Premier League fans.
Cherki tends to play as a No 10, although he has also featured on both the left and right flank at Lyon, cutting inside to weave his magic between the lines.
He’s a modern forward in that regard; a playmaker who fits with the Premier League’s movement away from possession and towards fast transitions.
Florian Wirtz
A lot of the players on this list are stars in the making. Wirtz is already there, hence the nine-figure fee Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly demanding for the 22-year-old’s services.
Wirtz plays predominantly as a jinking, gliding No 10, his rolled-down socks and upright running style indicative of a playmaker who always looks in control - and who makes scoring and creating goals look easy.
He does both equally well. Over the last two seasons, Wirtz has 67 goal involvements in 75 matches across all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring 34 and assisting 33.
His creativity outside the box is matched by ruthlessness inside it, while Wirtz’s dribbling through the lines is very much in keeping with the modern trend towards midfielders who excel in the transition.
But what marks Wirtz out as a potential Premier League player is his physical strength. He possesses a swagger that suggests he will adapt quickly to the pace and power of English football.
In recent seasons many of the world’s up-and-coming superstars appear to have joined clubs in France, Germany or Spain.
Wirtz’s arrival in England would redress the balance.
Better still, if he is joined by Gyokeres, Sesko, Ekitike and Cherki – all quick, skilful dribblers with an eye for goal – the 2025/26 Premier League season will be defined by the arrival of a new class of superstars.
