The transfer market has opened in the Premier League and these are the movements to follow during this month.
The January transfer window is now open for the Premier League and clubs are trying to strengthen their squads and prevent their best players from being tempted by their rivals.
And while the winter window is usually reserved for clubs needing to make up for poor summer recruiting or those with injury problems, January offers the chance for some top players to make a move.
So, with the window now open for business, who are the star players likely to be at the center of transfer interest this month?
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing the $101 million striker this month, with Ivan Toney likely to be the player at the center of January’s biggest deal if Brentford are prepared to offload him. The 27-year-old’s eight-month suspension for breaching the English Football Association’s betting rules ends on January 16, but having been free to train for the past four months, he will be fit and ready to play as soon as his sanction ends.
Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing Ivan Toney. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
However, with Brentford’s top scorer, Bryan Mbeumo, with seven goals, sidelined until March with an ankle injury, the club may be forced to put Premier League survival before the chance of making a big transfer and retain Toney, since he has scored 32 goals in 68 games.
The chances of the Paris Saint-Germain striker leaving the Parc des Princes this month are slim, but not impossible given his contract expires at the end of the season.
Real Madrid are long-term favorites to sign the 25-year-old French international and could negotiate a deal this month for Mbappe to move to Spain in the summer.
But Real Madrid will be nervous at the prospect of a Premier League club trying to do the same. With the financial power of English teams, the cost of signing Kylian Mbappé as a free agent in the summer, regardless of his salary, would not be out of reach for teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Manchester United are desperate to get rid of Jadon Sancho and, having been banned from the first team since a public dispute with manager Erik ten Hag in September, the player also wants a quick exit from Old Trafford.
But while his former club Borussia Dortmund are considering a loan move (and there is also some interest from the Saudi Pro League), United could suffer a huge financial loss from the 23-year-old winger, who arrived on a transfer of 92 million dollars from Dortmund in 2021.
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No one will be able to match that outlay, but a loan will also be expensive given Sancho’s $381,960-a-week salary. A loan deal with United subsidizing Sancho’s salary is the only realistic outcome.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear he wants to retain the English midfielder, who has started 19 of the team’s 20 league games this season, but Conor Gallagher’s contract situation means he could be released. with Tottenham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace all interested.
With 18 months to execute their deal, Chelsea could raise around $63 million by moving Gallagher this month, and that money would then be reinvested in a striker like Toney or Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
As a homegrown player, any payment for Gallagher would be considered pure profit and therefore a major boost to Chelsea’s attempts to meet the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules, so a move would be more of a financial decision. what football.
Manchester United have not opted to activate the one-year option to extend Raphael Varane’s contract, which expires in June, so the French defender may agree a summer move to a non-Premier League club this month , or United could try to raise funds by getting rid of him this month.
Rapahel Varane is in the sights of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and teams from the Saudi Pro League. Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Image
With injured defenders Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and Victor Lindelöf set to return to fitness this month, coach Erik ten Hag could release Varane due to interest from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and the Saudi Pro League.
Despite being only 30 years old, Raphael Varane’s injury history and high wages have led to United not offering a new contract, making a move this month possible.
The Napoli forward signed a new contract last month that will extend his stay until the end of the 2025-26 season, but reports in Italy claim the recent deal includes a $152 million release clause and a pact to allow that the 23-year-old player can move if it is activated.
Arsenal and Chelsea are long-time admirers of the Nigerian international, who will spend January leading his country’s bid to win the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Napoli want to retain Osimhen and his international commitments could help avoid a move this month. But if his termination clause is met, an agreement could be reached.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he will not block a deal that would see Kalvin Phillips leave the Etihad this month, after restricting the England midfielder to just a handful of appearances since his $53 million arrival from Leeds in 2022.
Newcastle, Juventus and PSG are all interested in the 28-year-old, making Phillips’ move one of the most likely transfers in January.
West Ham had shown strong interest in Kalvin Phillips over the summer, but the Hammers have since reinvested the $127 million they received from Arsenal for the signing of Declan Rice.
João Palhinha has signed a new five-year contract with Fulham after a $70 million move to Bayern Munich fell through in the final hours of the summer transfer window.
But despite his new deal, Fulham face another fight to retain the Portuguese midfielder this month, with Bayern still interested and rival Premier League clubs also considering a transfer.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle are all looking for a new midfielder, with different budgets to complete a deal, but each could fund a move for the 28-year-old this month.
Despite signing a new four-year contract with Arsenal in May 2023, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale lost the number one spot to Brentford loanee David Raya and risks missing out on England’s Euro squad. 2024 if he does not return to first team action.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta does not want to offload Ramsdale this month, but if the Gunners receive a substantial offer to sign the former Sheffield United goalkeeper, he could push ahead.
Newcastle is looking for a goalkeeper and Aaron Ramsdale is an option in this winter market. Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Newcastle are looking for a new goalkeeper with Nick Pope facing a long season with a shoulder injury, so a loan move to St James’ Park could be a great solution for all concerned.
The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker signed a new four-year deal with Bournemouth in September, but his form this season (12 goals in 19 Premier League games) has caught the eye of West Ham, while Chelsea and Arsenal watch him. as a potential alternative to the Toney and Osimhen priority targets.
Although Bournemouth are not under pressure to offload players this month, they could make a big profit on Dominic Solanke, having signed him from Liverpool for $24 million in 2018.
With manager Andoni Iraola guiding Bournemouth to mid-table, 10 points clear of the bottom three, any bid for Solanke would be considered at the club.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper has been a free agent since leaving Old Trafford last July, so his future is not linked to the opening of the transfer market, but he has not been in a rush to find a new club despite the interest. summer of Real Madrid, Inter Milan and clubs from Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old is being considered by both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, although Manchester United have strongly rejected speculation of a return to Old Trafford to cover for André Onana as he represents Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations.
Sources have told ESPN that David De Gea is waiting for the right offer but, having been out of the game for six months, it is increasingly likely that he will return to action this month.
2024-01-01 19:12:42
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