Premier League top six transfer round-up: How the title-chasers are shaping up as Manchester United chase new stars with Arsenal desperate to keep hold of Alexis Sanchez

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With less than three weeks until the season commences, the Premier League’s traditional top six's squads are starting to take shape.

They alone have spent close to half-a-billion pounds on the summer’s biggest signings in a bid to keep up with each other.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham will all fancy themselves to mount a title challenge and each club has taken a different approach. Spurs are uber confident and have bought no-one; City have signed three full-backs; United won the grapple with Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku.

There is still plenty of time for more movement, but here is Sportsmail’s assessment of how the title contenders are looking now.

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ARSENAL

TRANSFER SUMMARY

Arsenal's summer has so far been as much about who they have kept hold of as who they have signed. Arsene Wenger, their manager, will hope centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette can provide the goals they needed last season, yet only rangy left-back Sead Kolasinac has joined him on a free.

Much has been talked about the futures of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, among many other Arsenal players, but all still remain at the club. Wenger has work to do.

POSSIBLE LINE-UP

(3-4-3): Cech; Holding, Koscielny, Kolasinac; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Ozil, Lacazette, Sanchez.

Arsenal have brought in Alexandre Lacazette as they look to build for the new season

But there is still a fear that they could lose Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez this summer

CHELSEA

TRANSFER SUMMARY

They may have lost out on Lukaku, but manager Antonio Conte has, nonetheless, spent more than £100m on a new spine to his Chelsea team; powerhouses Antonio Rudiger, the centre-back, and Tiemoue Bakayoko, the defensive midfielder, have recently been joined by Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, to replace the disruptive Diego Costa. 

Rivals should fear how effectively Conte has strengthened his Premier League title winners - and the Italian boss wants even more options.

POSSIBLE LINE-UP

(3-4-3): Courtois; Rudiger, David Luiz, Cahill; Azpilicueta, Bakayoko, Kante, Marcos Alonso; Pedro, Morata, Hazard.

Chelsea are allowing Diego Costa to leave and signed Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid

They have also strengthened their spine by adding Antonio Rudiger in defence

LIVERPOOL

TRANSFER SUMMARY

Not perhaps the signings to match the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea, but if Mohamed Salah is as good at football as he is running he’ll be some addition to manager Jurgen Klopp’s team, while nicking disgruntled Dominic Solanke away from Chelsea could be one of the summer’s bargains. 

It’s still unlikely to be enough to challenge for the title until the end as it stands, while Barcelona’s pursuit of Philippe Coutinho is unwanted. 

POSSIBLE LINE-UP

(4-3-3): Mignolet; Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner; Lallana, Henderson, Coutinho; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Liverpool have brought in Mohamed Salah to bolster their options ahead of the season

Barcelona are chasing Philippe Coutinho, which would be unwanted on Liverpool's part

MANCHESTER CITY

TRANSFER SUMMARY

Manager Pep Guardiola likes his full-backs to tuck in and play centre-back, or push forward into central midfield, or attack as a winger. 

After spending so much money on right and left-backs, he’ll be able to fill the full 11 with them soon.

In all seriousness, City needed a new goalkeeper, stronger central midfield and to replace their ageing full-backs.

Guardiola has managed to bring just that into the Etihad Stadium so far this summer. 

POSSIBLE LINE-UP

(4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Stones, Mendy; Fernandinho, David Silva, De Bruyne; B Silva, Sane, Jesus.

Manchester City confirmed the arrival of Benjamin Mendy on Monday afternoon

MANCHESTER UNITED

TRANSFER SUMMARY

Swiftly sweeping away Romelu Lukaku when he was practically through the gates at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground earned Jose Mourinho one of the marquee summer signings — if not the marquee summer signing — and could prove to be a masterstroke next season. 

Besides that, however, only Victor Lindelof has been brought in, to help a defence Mourinho finds troublesome. Mourinho is hoping one or two more players, in particular a defensive midfield, arrive and he retains interest in Tottenham’s Eric Dier.

Losing Wayne Rooney to Everton should feel like a major departure, but, in reality, he was mainly on the periphery last season. 

PREDICTED LINE-UP

(4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Lindelof, Bailly, Blind; Pogba, Herrera; Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku.

Jose Mourinho managed to tempt striker Romelu Lukaku into a move to Old Trafford

The departure of Wayne Rooney will not have come as much of a blow for Manchester United

TOTTENHAM

TRANSFER SUMMARY

This could be left blank and still accurately surmise Tottenham’s summer spending: there has been none. Bold? Clever? Foolish? All three?

Selling Kyle Walker to Manchester City for £54m when he was not even first choice right-back at the end of last season is great business. Manager Mauricio Pochettino believes in Kieran Trippier and they have youngster Kyle Walker-Peters coming through as back-up.

Do Spurs need to spend big when they have Harry Kane and Dele Alli, by some estimates two of the top three most valuable players in the world (Neymar being the other)?

This could also be a ploy by chairman Daniel Levy to drive down the prices of his targets, so they may not conclude the transfer window without a signing.

PREDICTED LINE-UP

(4-2-3-1): Lloris; Trippier, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Rose; Dembele, Wanyama; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane.

The presence of Harry Kane may limit the number of arrivals that Tottenham Hotspur need

Spurs sold Kyle Walker to City but have bolstered their defence from their academy