Which stars are on the go, and which clubs are loading up for the second half of the season?
The January transfer deadline is here, and while the summer is reserved for the biggest moves—Kylian Mbappé will be out of contract and is expected to join Real Madrid, while Erling Haaland and Paul Pogba are among the other big names who could change clubs—there's still important business to be done.
It's been an active month of player movement, and the action has picked up over the course of the last week. Dušan Vlahović's move to Juventus from Fiorentina, confirmed on Friday, has been the most expensive transfer of the winter, while Luis Díaz's transfer to Liverpool and Bruno Guimarães's departure from Lyon to Newcastle on Sunday are the other notable, costly moves. Ferran Torres's earlier transfer to Barcelona from Man City also ranks among the most prominent moves, while noteworthy loans (Adama Traoré from Wolves to Barcelona; Robin Gosens from Atalanta to Inter; Anthony Martial from Manchester United to Sevilla), have accounted for a number of key moves as well.
Newcastle has unsurprisingly been among the busiest Premier League clubs. The Magpies, in their first transfer window after coming under affluent Saudi ownership, have spent over $100 million on Guimarães, Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier, while Aston Villa has been active in bringing in Philippe Coutinho on loan, while also adding defenders Lucas Digne and Calum Chambers as part of its first spree under Steven Gerrard.
Here are the biggest story lines remaining that are likely to be sorted before the window shuts on Monday and clubs are handcuffed until the summer. For reference, England, Spain and France's windows close at 6 p.m. ET, while Italy's shuts at 2 p.m. ET and Germany's concludes at noon ET (refresh for most recent updates):
Barcelona tries to offload Dembélé
The biggest name likely to move before the deadline is Ousmane Dembélé, the supremely talented, oft-injured Barcelona winger, whom the club says must be moved on after the two parties came to a standstill on a new contract. Dembélé, a member of France's 2018 World Cup-winning side, is out of contract at the end of the season, and Barcelona's suitors all know the club's stance, so landing a sizable fee is unlikely. Considering Dembélé was bought for nine figures with a good chunk of the club's Neymar sale windfall in 2017, it's going to be a rough piece of business, even if it's a necessary piece to shed salary and rid the club of a player who is an apparent source of conflict.
Barcelona has reportedly contacted PSG, while Chelsea and Manchester United are reportedly also in the mix for the 24-year-old, who, at a cut-rate fee, could wind up being a bargain for a buyer—provided he can stay healthy. Dembélé has prior experience playing under Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund.
Speaking of players at the center of a club crisis, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly in talks with over a loan that would rid Arsenal of a player who has fallen out of favor with Mikel Arteta but prefers to stay in Europe. He reportedly had an offer from Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr but rejected it.
While Aubameyang is reportedly in Barcelona on Monday, Dembélé is said to have no interest in being part of a swap deal that sees him head to Arsenal in return, so Barça is going to have to get creative in the final hours in order to get the resolution it seeks.
Eriksen makes his comeback
Christian Eriksen is back. Brentford has signed the free-agent Danish star on a deal through the end of the season, with an option to extend for another season. Eriksen hasn't played since collapsing during Denmark's opening match at Euro 2020, where he suffered cardiac arrest and nearly died. He was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, but Italian regulations prevented him from playing there with that, and so he reached a deal with Inter Milan to part ways amicably.
Eriksen has stated he wants to return for Denmark at the 2022 World Cup. The first step on that quest is returning to the field in the Premier League, where Eriksen previously starred for Tottenham.
Tottenham's double swoop at Juventus
The Juventus influence is growing at Tottenham. Between director of football Fabio Paratici and manager Antonio Conte, the leadership is well represented when it comes to Juve ties, and now that's spreading to the squad. Dejan Kulusevski is signing on loan from Juventus, while Rodrigo Bentancur will join permanently for a reported fee of £20 million ($26.8 million) to help remake the club's lineup.
Tanguy Ndombele (confirmed loan to Lyon), Bryan Gil (reported loan to Valencia), Giovani Lo Celso (reported loan to Villarreal) and Dele Alli (reported transfer to Everton) are among those potentially making way for the incoming signings in North London.
Juventus keeps the door rotating
While Kulusevski and Bentancur are leaving and Aaron Ramsey also on his way out, reportedly going on loan to Rangers, Juve has added Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach to fortify its midfield on a fee that can rise as high as $9 million.
Man City signs another South American star
Manchester City has officially signed River Plate star striker Julián Álvarez, although the 22-year-old won't join the club until the summer and will remain on loan with River Plate until "at least" July, the club said in a statement. He'll be signed through the 2026-27 season after going for a reported fee of €17 million ($19 million).
“Julian is a player we have monitored for some time,” Man City director of football Txiki Begiristain said in a statement. “He is capable of operating in a number of attacking roles, and we firmly believe he's one of the best young attacking players in South America.
Everton moves for Van de Beek, Alli
Everton is turning the reins over to Frank Lampard, and he'll have a new midfield centerpiece for the remainder of the season, with Manchester United reportedly sending Donny Van de Beek to Goodison Park on loan. Van de Beek, 24, has struggled for consistent playing time ever since leaving Ajax for Man United, but he'll have a new opportunity, with United paying his wages while he is set to wear Everton blue for the rest of the season. Alli is also set to join, albeit on a permanent move. According to The Telegraph, it'll be for a £10 million fee ($13.4 million) once Alli hits 20 games played.
More American movement?
It's been a busy winter for U.S. talent on the go, leaving MLS to head abroad. The most substantial transfers were those of Ricardo Pepi (reported $20 million) from FC Dallas to Augsburg) and Daryl Dike (reported $9.5 million) from Orlando City to West Brom. Beyond the two strikers, D.C. United sold Kevin Paredes to Wolfsburg for a club-record $7.35 million. A trio of young players embarked on 18-month loans, in Justin Che (FC Dallas to Hoffenheim), Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids to Feyenoord) and James Sands (NYCFC to Rangers).
There appears to be room for at least one more, with Atlanta United and U.S. national team left back George Bello reportedly departing for Arminia Bielefeld in the Bundesliga. The club finds itself in a relegation scrap (not unlike Pepi's Augsburg and Paredes's Wolfsburg), but Bello, 20, is undeterred and will head to Germany's top flight for a modest, reported fee of $2 million.
Elsewhere, Brenden Aaronson, who has reportedly been the subject of a $27 million bid from Leeds United, is expected to stay at RB Salzburg through the end of this season, with the club hesitant to dismantle its core prior to the Champions League round of 16. Aaronson is a prime candidate to be sold this summer, though.
Taylor Booth, the versatile 20-year-old who was a December call-up for the U.S., also appears to be poised for a summer move, with talks between Bayern Munich and Utrecht over an immediate move reportedly off. He can leave for the Netherlands as a free agent after the season.
One more expected summer departure is that of U.S. national team goalkeeper Matt Turner, who reportedly has an agreement to join Arsenal ahead of next season and remain with the New England Revolution until then. The teams are said to have agreed on a fee in the $7 million range.
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