The deadline seems to be an interesting situation because, at the moment, several big clubs are starting to make moves to make some breakthroughs so that in the end this can be decided through fairly quick negotiations.

Donnarumma will eventually end up at Manchester City because, from the outset, only Manchester City has been capable of making the purchase and offering the substantial salary that Donnarumma demands. On the other hand, the decision regarding Akanji is not surprising, as Pep's actions over the past two seasons suggest a desire to rejuvenate the squad, even though Akanji still has at least two seasons remaining on his contract. It appears that Manchester City and Pep have other priorities in making the squad younger.