Premier League clubs have until tonight to complete their incoming transfer business — and this one is shaping up to be far busier than normal winter windows.
A year ago, the major mid-season deals to be completed were Morgan Rogers’ arrival at Aston Villa from Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers’ Adam Wharton joining Crystal Palace, both moves from the second-tier Championship up to the Premier League.
Today could see at least five or six deals of that magnitude, including Ruben Amorim continuing to reshape Manchester United in his image after Sunday’s dour home loss to Crystal Palace, the question of whether Arsenal will chase another forward after yesterday’s 5-1 win over champions Manchester City kept faint title hopes alive, and Chelsea’s biannual reshuffle.
This is the state of play heading into the window’s final hours — the mooted deals edging towards resolution, the players in need of a new environment, and the murmurings that could spark to life in the minutes before the window shuts until the summer at 11pm (6pm ET).
Deals in motion
Chelsea could also be active in terms of departures, with one possible deal involving England international left-back Ben Chilwell. The 28-year-old has had the green light to leave since last summer, and has played just 45 minutes this season.
Crystal Palace have expressed interest in a loan, with manager Oliver Glasner wanting cover for Tyrick Mitchell. This will come as a relief to Chelsea, with Chilwell’s high wages limiting enquiries about him. Everton had been looking, but a loan from Chelsea is not permitted with striker Armando Broja already temporarily at Goodison Park from the west London club.
One Chelsea player on the move is Carney Chukwuemeka. Borussia Dortmund have agreed a deal to take the midfielder on loan and will cover his salary as part of the deal. The 21-year-old is expected to undergo a medical today.
Just over 12 months ago, Evan Ferguson’s stock was sky-high but injuries and a lack of form have seen him fall out of favour. Brighton & Hove Albion had been prepared to let him leave permanently this window, with the striker’s camp in agreement that he requires game time after a series of injuries. One permanent bid for the 20-year-old was rejected last week.
However, with his contract running until 2029, a loan was always the likeliest outcome — and despite interest from Everton and France’s Marseille, West Ham United appear to have won the race. The Athletic reported on Sunday that West Ham had reached a loan agreement with Brighton, with the Republic of Ireland international undergoing a medical yesterday. West Ham will pay his salary, a loan fee and add-ons. The deal is expected to be officially announced on Monday.
Ferguson’s last goal came against Wolves in October (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Another young Premier League forward, Southampton’s Cameron Archer, could also be on his way — to Elland Road for Leeds United’s promotion push from the Championship. Leeds have made an approach to borrow the 23-year-old, who has made just 10 league starts this season having arrived last summer from Sheffield United for £15million ($18.5m at current rates).
Archer is a long-term target for Leeds, who pursued him when he was with Aston Villa after they were relegated from the Premier League in summer 2023, but they were beaten to his signing by their then Premier League-bound Yorkshire neighbours.
Before this one, Manchester City had not signed a player for their first-team squad in a winter window since the arrival of Aymeric Laporte seven years ago. But over the past few weeks, they have welcomed three new arrivals — Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush — and could add a fourth today.
The Premier League champions are considering adding a midfielder to cover Rodri’s long-term absence. The Athletic reported this month that Douglas Luiz, a former City player who was of interest to Chelsea — also looking to bring in a midfielder — was one of multiple options, but any move back to England for the Juventus man only months after leaving Villa in the summer looks unlikely. The primary focus now appears to be Porto’s Nico Gonzalez, a 23-year-old Spaniard who was developed in Barcelona’s academy, and can play in defensive midfield or further forward in central midfield.
City do not want to meet Gonzalez’s release clause, and are focusing on negotiating a lower fee, with the payment structure the main complicating factor. The deal is made more difficult by a 40 per cent sell-on clause that Barcelona still hold after selling him to Porto in summer 2023.
Cross-town rivals Manchester United have also been busy on the arrivals front. With Danish wing-back Patrick Dorgu joining from Lecce of Italy for €30million (£25m; $31m) plus another potential €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons, Amorim has been busy reshaping the squad he inherited from Erik ten Hag in November in his image.
The Athletic also reported on Friday that Portuguese wing-back Geovany Quenda, 17, will be a target in the summer window for an expected €40million. Several other clubs are interested, but United are already engaged in conversations with Amorim’s former side, Lisbon’s Sporting CP, over the teenager.
This work on the full-back positions means some players already at United are free to leave. Left-back Tyrell Malacia is the subject of interest from another Portuguese club, Benfica. Having missed the entirety of last season with injury, the nine-cap Netherlands international is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.
Malacia is free to leave Manchester United (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Talks were scheduled between the clubs over a potential loan until the end of the season on Saturday. However, Malacia didn’t travel to Portugal as planned, with United and Benfica struggling to reach an agreement.
Elsewhere, with Marcus Rashford finalising his move to Aston Villa on loan, United are open to adding another forward. However, they are also mindful of staying financially prudent — which means any deal is currently unlikely. Bayern Munich’s 19-year-old Mathys Tel, who is available on loan, was discussed over the weekend but that looks unlikely to progress.
Similarly, nothing has advanced with Villa’s Leon Bailey or Christopher Nkunku, of Chelsea, who had been considered as short-term options. The most likely deals involving United are exits.
Newcastle United have agreed a loan deal with Juventus for defender Lloyd Kelly, who only joined the club on a free transfer six months ago after his Bournemouth contract expired, that will contain an obligation to buy. The 26-year-old, who has travelled to Italy for a medical, would make what’s expected to be a £20million permanent transfer in the summer.
Players who need a move
Chilwell is not the only player on the fringes of Chelsea’s squad who could find a route away from Stamford Bridge.
With the club working on bringing in another forward — more on this later — they will try to let another go.
The most likely to depart is Joao Felix, who has made just three starts in the Premier League since joining from Atletico Madrid last summer. Villa had been interested but, after agreeing loan moves for Paris Saint-Germain attacker Marco Asensio and Rashford, the 25-year-old Portugal international is unlikely to still be on their radar.
Joao Felix is out of favour at Chelsea (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Chelsea are also listening to offers for Nkunku, who was signed before Enzo Maresca’s appointment as head coach last summer and does not fit his style of play, with Cole Palmer being preferred in the France international’s best position. After he joined them for £52million in summer 2023, before suffering a serious knee injury, Chelsea are pushing to get around £65m. As stated above, Nkunku was considered as a forward option by Manchester United, but that appears an unlikely destination.
Still at Chelsea, centre-back Axel Disasi has been a target for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Villa, with the latter ahead in the race for the France international. However, there is still work to do — the two clubs have as of yet failed to agree on a loan fee, with Villa seeing Chelsea’s demands as too expensive for the 26-year-old.
Wolves were also beaten, by Tottenham Hotspur, to Lens centre-back Kevin Danso, despite agreeing a fee and scheduling a medical.
Speaking of defenders and north London clubs, Oleksandr Zinchenko is the most likely Arsenal player to depart after Kieran Tierney agreed to stay for the rest of the season before rejoining Celtic as a free agent in the summer. Nothing is imminent with less than 24 hours of the window remaining, though.
Manchester City would like James McAtee to stay but the 22-year-old attacking midfielder is the subject of interest from clubs in the Premier League and German Bundesliga. He has made 14 appearances in all competitions this season, with his four starts coming in the Community Shield, Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
McAtee scored a hat-trick against Salford City in the FA Cup (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Bayer Leverkusen expressed their interest earlier in the window, but City were resolute that McAtee was not for sale.
Potential murmurings
Following Gabriel Jesus’ anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury, Arsenal’s board had been willing to spend money on a striker if they could find one that raised the level of the squad. “We lack goals, we lack people, we lack options in the front line — it’s clear,” manager Mikel Arteta said last week.
However, the expectations are that no new player will join before the window shuts tonight — the only option, though unlikely, is a late loan from outside the Premier League. The focus instead is on long-term targets Alexander Isak (Newcastle) and Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig), with the latter thought more likely to happen due to the finances involved.
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho is still of interest to both Chelsea and Italian league leaders Napoli, but he is unlikely to leave, with Amorim’s recent comments reflecting a desire to keep the 20-year-old at Old Trafford. “He changed in everything: the approach when you talk with him, the way he recovers,” the United head coach said on Friday, having dropped him last month. “He is improving, and we want to continue to improve with Garnacho.”
United had been reluctantly open to selling Garnacho and fellow academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo, with both representing pure profit in accountancy terms under profit and sustainability rules (PSR). The club are under pressure to raise funds to comply with spending regulations.
“It is true,” Amorim added later in his media session, when asked whether selling former academy players can be useful in PSR terms. “But I want players like Kobbie and Garnacho.”
Garnacho and Mainoo (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Any offer for Garnacho will have to be sizable to change the club and coach’s opinion.
Napoli have held discussions over Garnacho as a replacement for Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has joined Paris Saint-Germain in this window for a reported €70million (£58.2m/$71.7m), but the numbers offered are too low for United to consider a sale. Representatives from Garnacho’s agency were at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s game against Wolves on January 20, with an enquiry lodged by the west London side, but those have so far not escalated into formal negotiations.
Chelsea do still want to add another attacker, with left-winger Mykhailo Mudryk currently suspended after failing a doping test. Alongside Garnacho on their list are Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens and Nico Williams of Bilbao-based La Liga side Athletic Club.
With the latter two representing complex deals, most of the noise has focused on Garnacho, but United appear more resolved to keep the Argentina international than they were earlier in the window. Nothing has progressed beyond interest.
Everton have been transformed since David Moyes’ reappointment for a second spell as their manager, winning their last three games on the bounce. Under the new ownership of the U.S. based Friedkin Group, the club have some financial flexibility for the first time in years — and their squad needs a significant overhaul.
They have explored cancelling Broja’s season-long loan after the Albania international striker suffered an ankle injury against Peterborough in the FA Cup last month, which would open up another domestic loan spot. They are interested in taking other Chelsea players to fill it — midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, or full-back Chilwell. However, none of those can proceed unless Chelsea agree to scrap Broja’s loan agreement, which they are unwilling to do.
Everton still have Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah on their shortlist, but it looks unlikely that any deal will be struck before the end of the winter window tonight.
Despite Kelly’s looming departure, Newcastle are not planning on making any new first-team signings, though they are in talks to add 18-year-old Turkish prospect Baran Yildiz from Genclerbirligi, who would initially join their academy.
There was a chance that Sean Longstaff could have left if a suitable offer came in, with the midfielder a long-term Everton target, but any move this window is now considered extremely unlikely. The same goes for Kieran Trippier, who has been linked with a move to Turkey. Miguel Almiron returning to Atlanta United of MLS means other sales are no longer essential.
Wolves’ winter window was handed a major setback after Danso agreed to join Spurs, but they are still attempting to reignite one of their earlier potential deals. As stated earlier, Chelsea’s Disasi still appears set to go to Villa on loan but other targets are still viewed as possibilities — Udinese’s Thomas Thiesson Kristensen is one of these.
Elsewhere in the squad, with Mario Lemina expected to stay, it is now less likely that Wolves will add another midfielder.
Ansu Fati watches Barcelona’s game against Osasuna in September from the bench (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Finally, Barcelona want a move for attacker Ansu Fati, who has played just 176 minutes for them this season, and has been left out of matchday squads despite being fully fit.
A permanent sale does not appear to be a viable option, with the 22-year-old’s deal paying him around €7million in net salary per season. These numbers also impact a potential loan move — even when they borrowed him last season, Brighton only agreed to pay a portion of his wages.
It looks unlikely that anything will progress here — Fati has no interest in leaving, and Barcelona have not yet received any meaningful interest in him.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
