9 EFL Championship players who could move to the Premier League this summer | OneFootball

Nine of the second tier's best who could find themselves making that step up to the Premier League next season

As the 2025/26 campaign winds down, Championship clubs will be preparing for sides in the Premier League to start registering interest in some of their brightest stars.

Every year, top-flight outfits look to the second-tier to raid their clubs of certain players who are ready to cut it in the most competitive league in the world, and it puts more pressure on those Championship teams to mount a successful promotion charge.

This summer will be no different, and, as always, numerous superstars in the division will be of interest to teams in the Premier League, to the point where whittling this list down to just nine was incredibly difficult.

No loan players count on the list, and we at FLW have tried to pick a range of players from across the division who could, and really should, be playing top-flight football this summer, regardless of whether their side gets promoted or not.

So, here are nine players who could be moving to the Premier League ahead of next season.

Hayden Hackney - Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney is highly regarded as one of the best players, if not the best player, in the Championship currently.

The Boro academy man has been a driving force in the midfield at the Riverside for several years now, but this year he has found a different level as his side has mounted a promotion challenge under Kim Hellberg.

This year, he has contributed towards more goals than he has in any prior year, but his increase in attacking output hasn't dampened his defensive contributions either, as he remains the best box-to-box midfielder in the division.

Manchester United have been credited with interest in the 23-year-old, especially now former Boro boss Michael Carrick is currently in the Old Trafford dugout, and you'd bet that if Middlesbrough don't secure promotion this season, Hackney will be making that step up without them.

Jack Rudoni - Coventry City

While there may be questions about whether Hackney will be making the move to the Premier League with his current club, it's only a matter of time before Jack Rudoni is playing top-flight football at Coventry City.

The Champions elect have missed the 24-year-old at times this season, spending two separate periods on the sidelines, the latter a calf issue, which he recently returned from with a couple of goals off the bench to down Derby County on Good Friday.

Afterwards, Coventry boss Frank Lampard would compare him to a Champions League-level player, and while it may be another few years before Rudoni will be making his bow under the European lights, there isn't much stopping the attacking midfielder from making his Premier League debut in the summer.

Femi Azeez - Millwall

Femi Azeez has been electric in his second season at Millwall, and falls under the same catagory as Hackney, in which, if he isn't in the Premier League with the Lions next season, you can bet that someone else will come in for him.

The 24-year-old has been one of the best chance creators in the Championship this year, whether that be setting up his teammates or creating them for himself, and Fotmob also has him within the top 10% of wingers in defensive stats, too, so he has all the skills to press high and put defences under pressure.

He's a big part of what Alex Neil's doing at Millwall, and was deservedly shortlisted for the league's Player of the Year.

The Lions are starting to develop a good reputation for bringing in young stars and selling them on for a profit after a couple of years, and if they don't go up, they'll be making a healthy profit on Azeez instead.

Azor Matusiwa - Ipswich Town

There are numerous attacking talents at Ipswich Town currently who could make a return to the Premier League if the Tractor Boys fall short this season, and the likes of Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke are easily honourable mentions and would likely make it onto the list if not for the fact that we want to include a range of clubs.

However, because of their excellence this season, the spotlight gets dimmed on some of the other players who contribute on the other end to the league's best defence heading into the final stages of the campaign.

Azor Matusiwa has been an incredible addition to the heart of Ipswich's midfield from Ligue 1 side Rennes, and the fact that he's started every league game he's been available for since making the move shows how vital he is to Kieran McKenna's side, as the squad depth at Portman Road is impressive.

The Dutchman is on here, too, because he has yet to make his Premier League bow, so while the likes of Clarke and Philogene have been exposed to top-flight football in England, Matusiwa hasn't, and it'll be intriguing to see how he does as and when he gets there - hopefully it'll be next season.

Abdul Fatawu - Leicester City

From sides at the top of the Championship to one battling relegation, you feel that, regardless of the outcome this season, whether they be a second or third-tier side, Leicester City won't be holding on to Abdul Fatawu much longer.

The 22-year-old has plenty of potential to be a major player in the top five European leagues, and even in this poor Foxes side, is still on track for double-digit goals and possibly even double-digit assists, too.

His Premier League journey was curtailed after just 11 appearances last season due to an ACL injury, so he'll have a point to prove when he does end up getting back there, and with Sunderland reportedly holding interest in the Ghanaian, it's surely only a matter of time before a move is made.

Leo Scienza - Southampton

Like with Ipswich, numerous talented players in the Southampton squad could make that step-up to the Premier League this summer, from Taylor Harwood-Bellis to Finn Azaz and Shea Charles. However, with the fresh hype surrounding Leo Scienza, it's difficult not to look at him.

The Brazilian returned from a groin injury in the FA Cup quarter-final bout against top-flight leaders Arsenal and put in a Man of the Match performance, which has plenty of fans excited about what he could bring to the table as a Premier League player.

That performance has seemingly piqued the interest of the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Leeds United, too, so the onus is now on Southampton to get promoted, or else they'll face losing the talented winger after just a year at St Mary's.

Sorba Thomas - Stoke City

Sorba Thomas is the first and only player currently in the Championship to have registered 10 goals and 10 assists, and given that he's done that for a side currently sitting in mid-table with one of the lower goal tallies in Stoke City, it just makes that even more impressive.

The Welshman has been directly involved in over 40% of the Potters' goal output this season, and has been one of the best new signings in the Championship this year.

It's been a well-known fact that a motivated Thomas is among the best widemen when it comes to chance creation in the Championship, but it seems like he has added goals to his game, too, which makes him even more dangerous, but also makes him even more attractive to Premier League sides.

Everton has been attributed with interest in the 27-year-old, and there may not be much Stoke can do to convince him to stay.

Imran Louza - Watford

Watford have had a season full of ups and downs on the field, but all of those ups have come through Imran Louza. If Ed Still's side manages to finish inside the top-10, it would be a good year, and if they can keep hold of the midfielder, they'd be in with a shout of finishing inside the revamped play-offs next season.

Unfortunately, keeping hold of the 26-year-old might be easier said than done, as he's finally started to discover that form of 2020/21 at Nantes that made the Hornets spend £10 million on him nearly five years ago.

His first year at the club was the final year he spent in the Premier League, and he's looking ready to make a return, as he sits in the top 10% of central midfielders for every passing stat in the Championship, according to Fotmob.

FLW exclusively reported that Everton and Fulham are eyeing the 26-year-old, and nothing is stopping that from materialising this coming summer.

Zan Vipotnik - Swansea City

And, ending the list, it's hard not to include the league's top scorer. Zan Vipotnik has exploded into life in his second season at Swansea City, with 20 goals, and counting, heading into the final stages of the campaign.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like these stats will translate into a play-off finish, with Swansea's season all but over. Therefore, the focus this summer to ensure that Vitor Matos' side ends up in the top eight this time next year will be keeping the 24-year-old on their books.

The Swans put those wheels in motion in March by tying him down to a new contract, which runs until 2030, and Vitor Matos has warned that potential suitors will need to come in with "proper money" if they're going to pry the frontman away from the Swansea.com Stadium.