Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool and Marcus Rashford to Barcelona have dominated the transfer headlines this July, but there have also been several interesting moves that have flown under the radar.
AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami, Inter Milan and Barcelona are among the clubs that have completed business that hasn’t garnered as much attention as the mega-money moves involving superstar names.
We’ve rounded up nine transfers from July 2025 that you might’ve missed.
William Carvalho – Real Betis to Pachuca
As noted on the Football Cliches podcast, former Portugal stalwart Carvalho has played for surprisingly few clubs for a man who has generated so many transfer gossip column inches.
Seven years at Sporting (with a couple of loans for good measure). Seven years at Real Betis. That’s it. We’re amazed he hasn’t had a
With those links to the Premier League now a tiny dot in the rearview mirror, Carvalho has left the European game and signed for Mexican outfit Pachuca, where he shares a dressing room with ex-Chelsea perennial loanee Kenedy.
Emerson Royal – AC Milan to Flamengo
After a somewhat baffling few years in Europe representing the likes of Real Betis, (briefly) Barcelona, Tottenham and AC Milan, Emerson has returned to Brazil – signing for Flamengo.
He’ll replace Roma-bound Wesley for the Rio-based giants, who turned heads at the recent Club World Cup by beating eventual winners Chelsea 3-1 in the group stage.
Saul – Atletico Madrid to Flamengo
Emerson isn’t the only eye-catching signing that Felipe Luiz’s Flamengo have made this summer.
Alongside the Brazilian full-back and Jorginho, Saul has just signed on a free transfer.
The 30-year-old midfielder hasn’t been capped by Spain since 2019 and is looking to jumpstart his career with a new challenge, finally leaving boyhood club Atleti 13 years after first making his debut.
We love a lesser-spotted European out in South America here at Planet Football.
Flamengo are also reportedly set to break their transfer record to sign Saul’s old team-mate Samuel Lino from Atletico. Watch this space.
Rodrigo de Paul – Atletico Madrid to Inter Miami
Inter Miami already have Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets among Lionel Messi’s old Barcelona buddies, not to mention Javier Mascherano in the dugout.
Now they’ve gone and signed his ‘bodyguard’ from Argentina. That’s one way to keep their star man happy, with his future at the MLS club still up in the air beyond the 2025 campaign.
Messi is on a hot streak and enjoying himself out in the Florida sunshine, but there remains a question mark over the squad balance and functionality with the ageing legs around the 38-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
De Paul is still only 31 and presumably has plenty of gas in the tank to bustle around in midfield battles. He might just be the signing Inter Miami need to deliver Messi’s first MLS Cup.
Marko Arnautovic – Inter Milan to Red Star Belgrade
The Austrian veteran’s magical mystery tour – which has already seen stops at Stoke, Bologna and Shanghai – has now taken him to Belgrade.
It’s an emotional move for the 36-year-old, because he pledged to his former coach, Red Star legend Sinisa Mihajlovic, that he’d one day join the club.
“I had promised to Sinisa that I would come to Red Star Belgrade, and now I am here,” Arnautovic told reporters, visibly fighting back tears at his unveiling.
“We used to talk about Red Star every day. Since arriving at the stadium and seeing it all, I’ve cried more in the last two days than in my whole life.
“I had spoken to his family too about this move, they were very happy for me,” Arnautovic added. “He was a brother, a father — he was everything to me.”
Scott McKenna – Las Palmas to Dinamo Zagreb
What in the broken Football Manager save is this?
McKenna’s only season in the Canary Islands ended in relegation, and now he’s moved on to the capital of Croatia.
Unfortunately, he won’t be coached by Ballon d’Or-winning Italy legend Fabio Cannavaro, who was sacked in April.
Fellow Scotland international Oli McBurnie has also left Las Palmas, but his next destination is yet to be revealed. A return to Swansea City has been mooted.
Salomon Rondon – Pachuca to Real Oviedo
Since that relatively fruitful loan to Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United a few years back, Rondon has represented (deep breaths)… Dalian Professional, CSKA Moscow, Everton, River Plate and Pachuca. Some career path, that.
Surprisingly enough, he’s only 35. We could’ve sworn he’s pushing 40.
Fresh from reminding the world of his existence at the Club World Cup, in which he got Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio sent off, Rondon has returned to Spain and signed for newly-promoted Real Oviedo.
“To be honest, I didn’t see myself competing in LaLiga at nearly 36 years old,” the Venezuela international told reporters.
“I’ve always been disciplined and respectful of my career, but I just didn’t envision myself playing at this level again at this age.”
“Our goal is to compete as best we can. We have to be realistic—nothing will be handed to us. We need to be ready for what’s coming. It’ll be tough, but not impossible.”
The move will see him reunite with 40-year-old La Liga icon Santi Cazorla, who he last played alongside at Malaga well over a decade ago.
“Words fall short when it comes to describing what Santi Cazorla means—not just for Oviedo, but for Spanish football in general,” Rondon added.
“I have great memories of our time at Malaga, and I hope we can recreate some of those moments here at Real Oviedo.”
Aaron Connolly – Millwall to Leyton Orient
Once tipped to be the next big thing at Brighton, Connolly’s career hasn’t quite panned out as planned.
The forward has flitted between Football League clubs in recent years – Hull City, Sunderland, Millwall – and has spoken openly and admirably about his battles with alcoholism.
Connolly has just signed with League One outfit Leyton Orient on a two-year deal.
Pau Victor – Barcelona to Braga
Barcelona signed the young forward from Girona last season. He notched two goals and one assist in 29 appearances, the vast majority of which were from the bench as a fringe player.
The club then had to go through a lengthy legal battle to get Victor registered for the second half of the season. He’s now been moved on to Portuguese club Braga for a reported fee in the region of €12million.
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