Five Premier League transfer targets to watch at the Copa America | OneFootball

The Copa America is up and running and there’s some serious talent on show in the United States this summer.

With the transfer window open for business, Premier League clubs will be assessing their targets ahead of potential moves. We’ve looked at five players featuring in the Copa America who are on the radar of English clubs.

Jonathan David (Canada)

Jonathan David has been a long-term target for Premier League clubs and this summer appears to be the one he finally makes the move. David has just a year to run on his contract at Lille and the French side will reluctantly entertain offers in the region of €25m (£21m) for the forward.

Given some of the inflated fees involved in the transfer market of late, that looks like real value for a player who boasts a prolific record in Ligue 1. David has scored 71 goals in 146 league appearances for Lille, filling the void left by Victor Osimhen’s departure in 2020.

Lille president Olivier Letang admitted recently that David and Leny Yoro would be sold this summer, due to their contract situations.

A four-team tussle is emerging for the striker’s services with Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham all in the race for David, who has scored 27 goals in 51 appearances for Canada. He scored the decisive goal as the Canadians beat Peru 1-0 in their second fixture of the Copa America to put Jesse Marsch’s team in a strong position to reach the knockout rounds.

Chelsea and Man United learn £21m price tag for forward

Manuel Ugarte (Uruguay)

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly prepared to allow Manuel Ugarte to leave this summer, should a suitable offer arrive for the midfielder. A €60m signing from Sporting Lisbon a year ago, Ugarte has failed to convince all in Paris despite his prolific ball-winning capabilities.

The 23-year-old led Ligue 1 for tackles (98) and ranked third for tackles won (57) despite starting just 21 games for the French champions. A season earlier, he had topped Portugal’s Primeira Liga for tackles, tackles won, dribblers tackles, and pass completion (91.7%), and ranked fifth for interceptions. He also led the Champions League for tackles per 90 minutes (5.59) and his ability to recover possession is elite.

Ugarte’s game in possession requires work but he aids control in his aggressive pursuit of the ball. Manchester United and Liverpool continue to be linked.

PSG ‘open to selling’ Manchester United transfer target

Evanilson (Brazil)

Evanilson is back on the radar of English clubs after a career-best campaign at FC Porto. The 24-year-old suffered a dip after a breakout 2021-22 season but returned to his eye-catching best last term.

The Brazilian scored 25 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions to break into the national team, earning inclusion for the Copa America ahead of more established options in Gabriel Jesus and Matheus Cunha.

Evanilson is well-rounded and has evolved from playing in a front two to a position as Porto’s sole striker, keeping two-time Bola de Prata winner Mehdi Taremi out of the team. He is comfortable dropping deeper or with his back to goal while exhibiting the usual Brazilian trademarks of close control and dribbling.

An unused substitute for Brazil’s goalless opener, he will hope for an opportunity after a toothless performance from the South Americans against Costa Rica.

Porto, who are aware of significant interest from the Premier League, will not allow him to leave on the cheap.

Piero Hincapie (Ecuador)

Left-sided centre-backs are all the rage at the moment as top teams seek balance in the backline. Piero Hincapie’s name continues to be touted with a move to the Premier League with Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool among the sides named as admirers.

Part of a talented collection of Ecuadorian footballers emerging across Europe’s top leagues, Hincape formed part of the Bayer Leverkusen team who won a domestic double without losing a game in 2023-24.

The 22-year-old can operate as a centre-back or left-back and impressed as the left-sided central defender in Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-3 system. Tenacious defensively and with composure to stride forward, Hincapie ranks in the 99th percentile of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries per game across the last 12 months.

His £60m release clause could be triggered with a strong tournament this summer.

Santiago Gimenez (Mexico)

Eredivisie purchases can be hit-and-miss for Premier League teams but Santiago Gimenez appears to have all the attributes to thrive in English football.

The Mexico international has been a prolific presence at Feyenoord across the last two seasons, scoring 49 goals in 86 appearances across all competitions. After a slow start following his arrival from Cruz Azul, Gimenez has found his feet in Europe to flourish as the spearhead of the Rotterdam outfit.

His first season saw Gimenez win the Eredivisie title, before lifting the KNVB Cup last term. Valued in the region of £42m at De Kuip, Tottenham are rumoured to be leading the chase for his services.

Read – Nike re-release classic Brazil shirt for Copa America

See more – Which team has won the most Copa America titles?

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