Man Utd tipped for £30m Brighton star in 2026 as New Palmer and Grealish also get big-money moves

These ten young stars have only just touched down in the Premier League but are presumably far happier than their new clubs to see us already pimping them out to the English top flight elite in a year’s time.

Like it or not, as displayed by Manchester United continually muscling in on Newcastle targets this summer, that elite group remains the Big Six.

Charalampos Kostoulas (Olympiacos to Brighton, £30m)

We would advise Transfermarkt to immediately alter their £10.4m valuation of Kostoulas, because love them though we do, if Brighton are willing to overpay by such a significant degree on an 18-year-old striker then we’re fairly confident he’s the real deal.

Their second-most expensive signing ever behind Georginio Rutter (£40m) starting just 20 senior games of football before his move to the Amex somehow makes him a more terrifying prospect for the rest of the Premier League, with his less than impressive goal return of seven doing nothing to assuage our belief that Manchester United will spend nine figures on him in a year’s time.

READ MORE: Carlos Baleba, not Benjamin Sesko, will make Man Utd a passable football team

Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona to Brighton, £9m)

Colour us surprised to see Brighton as the Premier League side signing a 21-year-old Italy international with two-and-a-half seasons of senior football in one of the top five European leagues under his belt. Must have made Hellas Verona an offer they couldn’t refuse for the centre-back.

Tom Watson (Sunderland to Brighton, £10m)

If, like us, your impression of Watson is almost entirely based on his 95th-minute winner against Sheffield United to secure promotion then you too will be getting ready to see the Next Cole Palmer gliding across Premier League pitches and passing the ball into the corner with no fuss whatsoever.

Antoni Milambo (Feyenoord to Brentford, £17m)

Arne Slot made him Feyenoord’s youngest-ever player when he handed Milambo his debut at 16 and 131 days, hailing his “elite skillset”. Manchester United were linked with the now 20-year-old in December.

Jair Cunha (Botafogo to Nottingham Forest, £10m)

The last young centre-back Forest signed from Brazil for £10m was Murillo, who is now arguably undervalued at £48m after two years at the City Ground.

Habib Diarra (Strasbourg to Sunderland, £30m)

The club-record signing joins as a direct replacement for Jobe Bellingham as a 21-year-old box-to-box midfielder who got four goals and five assists in Ligue 1 to help Strasbourg into Europe.

Chemsdine Talbi (Club Brugge to Sunderland, £20m)

The 20-year-old caught the eye in the Champions League last term as his brace in the second leg of Club Brugge’s post-group stag play-off saw them past Atalanta. Looks a tad lightweight, which will be a concern, but he’s got the speed and close control to put the willies up a few.

READ MORE: Every Premier League transfer and release confirmed in the summer of 2025

Robin Roefs (NEC Nijmegen to Sunderland, £9m)

No goalkeeper in the Eredivisie had a better PSxG minus goals allowed score than Roefs. Here’s what the f*** that literally is, according to the wonderful FBRef, but essentially positive numbers suggest an above-average ability to stop shots.

The 21-year-old’s +9.7 was also comfortably better than any Premier League goalkeeper last season. Manchester United and/or Chelsea will likely be in the market this time next year.

Fer Lopez (Celta Vigo to Wolves, £19m)

That’s a helluva lot of money for a 21-year-old with just 20 senior appearances to his name with a market value of £4.3m, but having watched a ‘Fer López: Welcome to Wolves – Banging skills and goals’ video on YouTube which definitely provides a realistic view as to how he might do in the Premier League, we’ve decided he’s Jack Grealish but faster, stronger and better at finishing.

David Moller Wolfe (AZ Alkmaar to Wolves, £10m)

Yeahhhh, we’re not convinced either. Probably more likely not to play for Wolves than get a big move next summer, and likelier still to play every game for Wolves only for us to pay him no heed whatsoever. There’s merit in that though.

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