The winter transfer window was activated on Monday January 31 in the last hours in France and abroad. Between Newcastle, which has spent lavishly, Saint-Étienne and Bordeaux, which have strengthened themselves with a view to maintaining or even the return of Christian Eriksen to England… We summarize for you the most important transfers of mid-season.
Lille’s Jonathan Ikoné at Fiorentina
French champion last season with Losc, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder, who has played 25 games this season with the northern club, signed up at the start of the transfer window with Fiorentina, for four years.
Jonathan Ikoné, French international (4 caps, 1 goal), had participated in the resumption of training with Fiorentina at the end of December. He has already played four games with the Italian club and provided 2 assists. The transfer fee is estimated at around 15 million euros including bonuses.
Hatem Ben Arfa joins Lille
Free since the end of his contract in Bordeaux last summer, Hatem Ben Arfa (34) has found a club. With Losc, he discovered his seventh Ligue 1 club, after Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Rennes and therefore the Girondins. The attacking midfielder signed a six-month contract with the French champion, which therefore binds him to the club until the end of the season.
Anthony Martial loaned to Sevilla
Little used on the Manchester United side since the start of the season, the French international wanted to relaunch in another club for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year. After weeks of negotiations between the two clubs, an agreement has been reached for Anthony Martial to join Sevilla FC on loan until the end of the season, with no option to buy.
La Juventus s’offre Dusan Vlahovic
The Old Lady formalized on Friday January 28 the arrival of Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic (22), who had been playing for four years at Fiorentina. The Turin club set a new record in a winter transfer window, paying 80 million euros (including bonuses) to secure his services, far ahead of the 55 million spent by Manchester United for Bruno Fernandes two years ago .
The player, who has scored 41 goals for a year and a half in Italy, has signed a four and a half year lease with Juventus, currently 5th in Serie A.
Newcastle panics the transfer market
It was the club that was most active at the end of the winter transfer window. Bought last fall by a public investment fund from Saudi Arabia, Newcastle United has almost unlimited financial resources. After having offered right-back Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid) and striker Chris Wood (Burnley) for a value of 40 million euros, the English club, 18th in the Premier League, has also recruited the Brazilian midfielder from the ‘OL, Bruno Guimaraes.