Sports
THE Premier League transfer window closes on Tuesday at 23:00 GMT – and there are some potential deals in the pipeline which could further extend the record amount already paid out.
About £550m has been spent this month, shattering the 2018 record of £430m.
The English Football League deadline is also 23:00, while Scotland’s is 23:59.
The German Bundesliga shuts at 17:00, Italian Serie A at 19:00, Spain’s La Liga at 23:00 and France’s Ligue 1 at 11:59 – also all on 31 January.
The Women’s Super League closes at midnight for international transfers and 17:00 for domestic deals.
The British transfer record could be broken on January’s transfer deadline day for the first time since 2011 when Chelsea signed Liverpool’s Fernando Torres for £50m.
Chelsea have bid 120m euros (£105.6m) for Benfica’s Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Arsenal are running out of time to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo with a £70m bid rejected.
Sean Dyche was named manager of struggling Everton on Monday so faces a rush if he wants some new faces.
English top-flight clubs have spent almost £2.5bn this season, including the summer’s record £1.9bn spend, far above the previous record £1.86bn in 2017-18.
What has happened so far?
Chelsea have very much set the pace this window as they look to spend their way back into top-four contention.
Owner Todd Boehly’s Blues have splashed out upwards of £200m on seven new players, including Benoit Badiashile (£35m), Andrey Santos (£18m), Joao Felix (loan with £9.7m fee), Noni Madueke (£30.7m) and Mykhailo Mudryk (£62m rising to £89m), most on lengthy contracts.
There has been a bit of movement from clubs above them in the table, but not much, with Liverpool’s capture of Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo from PSV, Arsenal signing Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Newcastle’s £45m swoop for Anthony Gordon from Everton the most eye-catching.
There has been an intriguing incoming at Manchester United, with Dutch striker Wout Weghorst joining on loan from Burnley.
Understandably, there has been plenty of action from the clubs whose main challenge this season is remaining in the division.
Wolves have been busy, signing forwards Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia, midfielder Mario Lemina and defender Craig Dawson to boost Julen Lopetegui’s squad.
There’s no slowing down at Nottingham Forest after a summer in which they signed 23 players, with Brazilian midfielders Danilo and Gustavo Scarpa, and forward Chris Wood, moving to the City Ground this month.
Leeds broke their transfer record to sign forward Georginio Rutter and have also agreed a deal to bring in USA midfielder Weston McKennie from Juventus on an initial loan, while Bournemouth (Dango Ouattara for £20m), West Ham (Danny Ings for £12m) and Southampton (Mislav Orsic and Carlos Alcaraz for a combined £20m) have made moves.
It has been a tough window for Everton, who lost the aforementioned Gordon and saw Arnaut Danjuma turn his back on them before signing for Spurs shortly after sacking manager Frank Lampard.
What deals are in the pipeline?
As already discussed, Fernandez and Caicedo are big-money transfer targets going into the final day of the window.
Surprising news broke on Monday that Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo was in discussions over a loan move to Bayern Munich that could then result in a 70m euro (£61.5m) move in the summer.
Stuttgart midfielder Naouirou Ahamada is having a medical before an 11m euro (£9.7m) transfer to Crystal Palace, while Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is speaking to Nottingham Forest over a move that would see him become the latter’s 26th signing of the season.
A number of Championship players have also been linked with Premier League moves, such as Coventry striker Viktor Gyokeres, Stoke defender Harry Souttar and Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge.
BBC Sport
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