■ In England, Chelsea disgusts the competition
With more than 300 million euros committed in one month, Chelsea has evolved into a financial dimension apart on the football planet. By “stealing” the Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk (Shakhtar Donetsk) under the nose and beard of Arsenal against 100 million euros, the Blues had already surprised by their ability to line up without complaining about very high sums.
But that was without counting on the improbable evening of Tuesday, at the end of which the club of Todd Boehly won the services of another hope of world football: the Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernandez, torn from Benfica. The amount of 121 million is a record in England and the duration of the contract calls out: it runs until… 2031, according to several media! The 22-year-old Argentinian will be 30 at the end of his tenure in London!
Chelsea therefore spent lavishly, also attracting Benoît Badiashile, Joao Felix (on loan), Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto (on loan to Lyon until June).
Premier League leader Arsenal has expanded its squad with Polish defender Jakub Kiwior, Belgian winger Leandro Trossard and Italian European champion Jorginho, snatched from Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Elsewhere in England, Manchester City passed, Liverpool snapped up Dutch striker Cody Gakpo for €60m (bonus included), Newcastle dropped €45m for promising Anthony Gordon from Everton and Manchester United have recruited midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and Dutch striker Wout Weghorst to try to fill a big void: the one left by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar (37), released by the Red Devils after a final stroke of blood, was finally recruited at a high price by the Saudi club Al-Nassr on December 30.
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo treats himself to a golden twilight in Saudi Arabia
■ In Spain, Real and Barça remain discreet
In Spain, paradoxically, the two behemoths Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have remained rather discreet.
The biggest blow is the work of Atlético Madrid: the Colchoneros signed Dutch striker Memphis Depay, whose contract at Barça expired at the end of June, for only 3 million euros.
■ In Italy, Skriniar stays at Inter until June
The Italian market has closed and Inter Milan still have Milan Skriniar in their ranks. The solid Slovak defender of Inter Milan, at the end of the contract in June and announced at Paris SG, was hoped for in France in the winter, but the Nerazzurro club retained him, for lack of a replacement found in time.
■ In Germany, Bayern replaces its injured
Weakened by injuries, Bayern had to activate on the transfer market to compensate for the absences of their captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and their defender Lucas Hernandez, packages at least until the end of the season.
In goal, Bayern recruited Borussia Mönchengladbach and Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer for 8 million euros, plus a million and a half euros in bonuses.
Read also: Jonas Omlin transfer finally sends Yann Sommer to Bayern Munich
In defense, the Dutchman Daley Blind (32), free, signed until the end of the season and the Bavarians also obtained on Tuesday the loan with the option to buy the Portuguese side of Manchester City Joao Cancelo, in the perspective of the shock against Paris SG in the knockout stages of the Champions League (February 14 and March 8).
■ In France, doubts about a transfer from PSG
After the many arrivals of the summer transfer window, PSG ended the winter window without recruits… The fault of a market that started late, but also, according to two sources with knowledge of the file, delays from Chelsea in the transmission of the necessary administrative documents to the validation of the loan of the Moroccan Hakim Ziyech. Paris plans to submit an appeal to the French League.
In the column of departures, goalkeeper N.2 Keylor Navas has joined Nottingham Forest.
In Ligue 1, Lyon and Marseille have been more active than Paris, notably attracting two World Cup semi-finalists, Croatian Dejan Lovren (OL) and Moroccan Azzedine Ounahi (OM). OM also bought promising centre-forward Vitinha (Braga) for 25 million euros (plus seven bonuses).
