Clubs across the continent are in the market for January transfer deals as they look to strengthen their squads for the second half of the 2024/25 season with titles, European football and survival all on the line.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are all rumoured to be circling new arrivals as they battle it out in the Premier League while the window could see some big exits confirmed with Trent Alexander-Arnold negotiating a possible free transfer to Real Madrid and Manchester United open to selling Marcus Rashford. Joshua Zirkzee could also be leaving and Juventus have reportedly offered Arsenal target Dusan Vlahovic to United for the striker in a swap deal.
One of the more intriguing sagas is the fate of Dani Olmo who could be left in limbo is Barcelona fail in their attempts to re-register him. The Spanish giants are battling LaLiga over finanical issues which could mean Olmo needs to find a new club and there are plenty of teams, Arsenal and Chelsea included, monitoring the situation.
And across the rest of the English top-flight, clubs are sticking to PSR regulations and tight budgets as they look to find cut-price deals to bolster their squads.
Follow all the latest transfer news, rumours and deals below:
Bruno Fernandes on Man Utd’s result at Liverpool
Manchester United drew 2-2 with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon in a much-improved display that does not reflect their recent struggles in the Premier League.
Captain Bruno Fernandes spoke to Sky Sports after last night’s match.
“I’m pretty upset. If we show this level at Liverpool, first in the league, why can’t we do this everywhere? It frustrates me,” he said.
“Also, finally I did a proper performance. We said we need much more from ourselves to get more from this season. Being 2-1 [down] then scoring, it is good to get a point but we need more.”
AC Milan to pounce on Olmo situation
Italian giants AC Milan hope to pounce on the Dani Olmo situation at Barcelona.
The Spanish midfielder finds himself in deep water after Barcelona chiefs failed to seal his registration with La Liga. The Spanish giants are going through their options to keep him but may need to offload the player if they can’t register him with the Spanish footballing authorities.
According to SPORT, the Italian side are willing to offer him a six-month loan move to the San Siro after which time he would return to Barcelona.
It is a deal which could suit all parties though their are Premier League clubs also monitoring the situation and could yet throw spanners in the works.
Guardiola wants Grealish improvement
Pep Guardiola explained why he decided to start Savinho ahead of Jack Grealish in Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over West Ham at the weekend.
He said: “Savinho is in better shape and everything than Jack, and that’s why I played Savinho.”
The 29-year-old Grealish has yet to score in 19 appearances this season and is rumoured to be one of the options City are prepared to sell on if they receive a suitable offer.
Arne Slot reveals surprise Liverpool benefit from Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer saga
Real Madrid made an initial approach for the right-back this week, which Liverpool rebuffed before the Champions League holders could even make a bid.
But Alexander-Arnold, along with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, is out of contract in the summer and could leave Anfield on a free transfer. The 26-year-old has been able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs since New Year’s Day and Real have made no secret of their interest in him.
Carragher explains where Liverpool need to strengthen
Jamie Carragher says Liverpool need to sign a new left-back if they are to go into the market during the January transfer window.
“Liverpool need to sign a full-back. I think they need a left back,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “Trent Alexander-Arnold was really poor. He will be a lot better than that and Conor Bradley is fantastic.
“I just think Andy Robertson, who is an absolute legend, is just hanging on in every game. I don’t think Kostas Tsimikas is quite of the standard to come in and replace him.
“I think if Liverpool could get a left back in January, I think that’d put Liverpool in a really strong position to win the league.”
Casadei on verge of Chelsea exit
Cesare Casadei looks set to leave Chelsea after he agreed a permanent transfer to Torino, according to The Sun.
The 21-year-old midfielder was signed in 2022 from Inter Milan in a deal worth £12.6m but was sent out on loan moves to Reading and Leicester before being recalled to the Blues squad in January last year.
Transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, says a deal between the two clubs is being negotiated in the region of £10m with a buy back option included for the Blues.
Kabore heading out on loan
Manchester City’s Issa Kabore will be heading to Werder Bremen on loan for the rest of the season after being recalled from Benfica.
The right-back has spent time at Mechelen, Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town and most recently Benfica with Werder Bremen being the sixth loan for the 23-year-old.
Kabore is a Burkina Faso international with 45 caps and two goals.
Besiktas target Chris Wood
Chris Wood has scored 11 goals in the Premier League this and is garnering interest from other clubs.
According to Fotomac, Turkish giants Besiktas are eyeing a move for the forward in the hopes of bringing him in as a partner for striker Ciro Immobile.
Nottingham Forest are, understandibly, not keen on selling during this window as they hope to maintain their great form and keep themselves in the top four.
Eddie Howe hits back at critics of Newcastle’s approach: ‘We are here to win’
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and then Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp were angered by Newcastle’s approach during that campaign, prompting Howe to say: “We are not here to be popular and to get other teams to like us. We are here to compete.”
Everton’s new owners assessing Sean Dyche’s future
Sky Sports News reports that Everton‘s new owners, The Friedkin Group, have been assessing the club’s direction and the future of manager Sean Dyche.
The Toffees sit just one point above the relegation zone having won one of their last 11 games following a defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend.
The new ownership group is planning to see out the season and conduct a full review and evaluation of the club. However, there are immediate concerns over the team’s performance and discussions are underway on how to proceed to guarantee that Everton avoid the drop.