Mark Ogden May 4, 2026, 07:17 AM ET

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Mark Ogden is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @MarkOgden_ .

Elliot Anderson , Adam Wharton , Sandro Tonali and Carlos Baleba -- potentially even Bruno Guimarães , Alex Scott , Tyler Adams and Aurélien Tchouaméni -- all have one thing in common: They are the must-have targets virtually every leading team wants to sign this summer.

If you are looking to identify the big transfer trend, it is all about midfielders.

Only Arsenal , who added Martín Zubimendi last summer to an impressive midfield group that already contained Declan Rice , Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino , are strong enough in the center of the pitch to leave their rivals to battle it out for a small pool of top midfield talent this time around.

Casemiro 's imminent departure from Manchester United as a free agent and uncertainty over Rodri 's future at Manchester City ensure that the two Manchester clubs will be at the forefront of the race to…