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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Will Unwin (now), Niall McVeigh, Will Magee , Tom Davies and Barry Glendenning (earlier)

Transfer deadline day: Chelsea agree Fernández deal, Jorginho joins Arsenal – as it happened

Chelsea Bournemouth (Organization)
Chelsea have finally agreed a British-record deal for Enzo Fernández with Benfica. Can they get the transfer over the line before the deadline?
Chelsea have finally agreed a British-record deal for Enzo Fernández with Benfica. Can they get the transfer over the line before the deadline? Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

Goodnight! Thank you for joining me and my colleagues for a riveting day of transfers (and failed deals).

Shall we do it all again in the summer?

Here is the story on Enzo Fernandez’s imminent arrival at Chelsea.

Manchester United sign Sabitzer

Manchester United have completed the signing of Marcel Sabitzer on loan until the end of the season from Bayern Munich.

“Sometimes in life you have to make quick and important decisions,” Sabitzer said. “From the moment I heard about this opportunity I knew it was right for me. I am a competitive player; I want to win and help the club achieve its aims this season.

“I feel that I am at my peak as a player, and that I can contribute a lot of experience and energy to the squad. I’m excited to start with my new teammates and manager and to show my qualities to Manchester United fans.”

What you all really want is a roundup of the other transfer deals.

Maybe he has just gone to bed like the rest of us want to.

End of an era at Leicester.

Fernandez's Chelsea deal is complete - Romano

Fabrizio Romano says Enzo Fernandez is done and dusted for ab English record fee of €125m. It’s all over!

I suspect Jacob will be releasing a book in the coming weeks about the Enzo Fernandez saga. It has been a helluva month for the Argentina midfielder and every journalist working in it.

Pay more than the release clause, that should sort it.

Some good news for Southampton after they lost to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Big move for Harry Souttar.

The interesting thing about Matt Doherty’s move to Atletico Madrid is that he has only signed a deal until the end of the season. It is like he is off for a six-month work placement abroad. And what a place to do it.

Andy Hunter points out how badly this window has been for Everton.

As a follow up to the teased Crewe announcement … they have signed right-back Sean Robertson on loan from Forest Green.

Nothing has happened at Everton. Farhad Moshiri said last week the club would bring in a striker before the window closed and they have been left empty handed. I suspect the fans are not pleased. Twitter is not always the best barometer but I have seen some early upset.

There is still a deal to be announced at Crewe!

Leicester sign Souttar from Stoke

Leicester have completed the signing of Harry Souttar from Stoke.

Here is a little tease from the club.

Hakim Ziyech’s move to PSG looks in the balance.

Nottingham Forest complete Navas deal

Keylor Navas is a Nottingham Forest player, signing on loan from Paris Saint-Germain until the end of the season.

The goalkeeper has been brought in following an injury to No 1 Dean Henderson.

Navas, 36, has not made a league appearance this season but brings a wealth of experience with him having won three Champions League titles during his time with Real Madrid.

Keylor Navas has been a reserve at PSG this season.
Keylor Navas has been a reserve at PSG this season. Photograph: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Think you might have missed a deal? Check out every transfer in the top five European leagues.

Pedro Porro is a Tottenham player.

In the Netherlands, Patrick van Aanholt has left Galatasaray to join PSV.

We need the drama!

We are still waiting on confirmation of …

  • Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea

  • Marcel Sabitzer to Manchester United

  • Keylor Navas to Nottingham Forest

  • Southampton and some strikers

Manchester United got their deal sheet in for Marcel Sabitzer before the 11pm deadline. Now they just need to complete the formalities.

Shelvey completes Nottingham Forest move

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Jonjo Shelvey from Newcastle.

The midfielder has signed a contract until 2025 at the City Ground.

Shelvey said: “It’s a pleasure to be here. As soon as I found out Forest were interested, it caught my eye straight away and I just couldn’t wait to get down here. It’s a fantastic football club that has so much history and I’m really looking forward to getting started.

“My main goal straight away is to fight for my place in the team and stay there. It’s not going to be easy because there’s a lot of competition for places, but it’s a challenge I’m really looking forward to and the competitiveness can only help the team going forward.

“I spoke to Eddie Howe and he had such good words to say about Steve Cooper. I previously knew of him from my time at Liverpool, so I knew what a fantastic coach he was, but meeting him for the first time has been a breath of fresh air.

“He’s told me what he expects and the high standards he sets, so I can hope I can come and help the team push to stay in the Premier League. I’ve been in this league a long time, I know what it takes to stay up and what it takes to get a good team to gel, so I’m looking forward to getting started and working with the players that are here.”

January transfer window closes

The clock reaches 11pm GMT. But do not worry, there is still time to complete deals.

More details on the Pedro Porro deal: the Spanish full-back has signed on a loan deal from Sporting Lisbon but there is an obligation to make it permanent in the summer. He will wear the No 23 shirt.

“Do you think Graham Potter has had much say in Chelsea’s spendathon?” asks Burt Bosma. “Every manager wants good players to come in, but he gave the distinct impression that he’d prefer to work with what he had and get the team playing the way he wants over time rather than throwing extra big names into the mix in the hope of making things happen overnight.”

I am not sure many managers have control over deals nowadays. They are all at a good age, which will please Potter.

Pedro Porro completes move to Spurs

Finally! The deal is done.

Brian Rafferty emails: “Assuming the Fernandez deal completes, it truly is an excellent piece of business for Benfica, and a ludicrous one from Chelsea. It is good news for River Plate too, who stand to make £20m from the deal, and also ended up with Rondon on a free!”

River Plate will be laughing.

With 15 minutes to go until the closure of the window, it is worth pointing out that as long as a deal sheet has been sent in, then clubs have another two hours to complete the transfer.

It sounds like Fernandez will be signing one of their big contracts until 2031. It is good work if you can get it.

With the deal for Enzo Fernandez agreed by Chelsea, I think we should take a few minutes to commend Benfica for signing a player for €10m in the summer and selling him for €120m six months later. I suspect a few Sagres will be consumed by the scouting network tonight.

Everton manager Sean Dyche has gone home but there is news from Goodison, via Sky Sports, that they were rejected by Olivier Giroud. So many failed attempts to find a striker that actually wanted to come this month.

“I don’t want to sound like one of the lunatics in the comments sections,” says Graeme O’Neill, “but I’m baffled by Liverpool’s activity this window/for the past few windows. We’ve needed midfield reinforcements for literally years; Arsenal and United were able to get Done Deals for Jorginho and Sabitzer within hours. Meanwhile, we’re still sat outside Jude Bellingham’s house like Kirk van Houten convinced we’ll win his affections when we’ll have fuck all to offer him next season.”

From my experience, clubs up for sale rarely do big business.

Another new signing at Burnley.

In other news … Newcastle are in the Carabao Cup final.

Peter Oh emails about the Lokonga deal: “I’m perplexed by Crystal Palace’s use of a Golden Girls GIF to announce their latest loan signing. That seems like such a ... I don’t know ... Hodgson move!”

All over my head.

“Hi Will,” emails Alexandra Ashton. “It’s a very surprising one, terminating Doherty’s contract. I’d expected a loan: his contract had another year and half on it, I believe, and it feels like a bit of a waste to just let him go.

”I suppose considering Porro is coming in, we had a glut of right backs and no feasible route for Matt to get back in the team (Porro 1st choice, Emerson defensive option, Spence young prospect). Still odd in my eyes.”

Spurs had to release him because they already have eight players over 21 out on loan and that is the limit, according to Fifa rules.

Chelsea agree Fernandez deal

Chelsea have an agreement in principle with Benfica to sign Enzo Fernandez. They now need to get the deal done before 11pm.

Only an hour to go until the window shuts (in England).

These are some of the stories from today

  • Jorginho has joined Arsenal from Chelsea in a £12m deal

  • Matt Doherty joins Atletico Madrid on a free

  • Chelsea’s £115m move for Enzo Fernández is still a ‘work in progress’

  • Marcel Sabitzer has landed in Manchester to complete his United loan move

  • Nottingham Forest bring in Felipe from Atletico Madrid

  • Pedro Porro has signed his Spurs contract with an announcement immiment

  • Southampton are working to seal moves for two new forwards, and Keylor Navas is heading to Forest

  • Fulham have signed Sasa Lukic from Torino and are still looking at Brandon Williams and Cédric Soares

Updated

I think we can accept Crystal Palace have signed Albert Sambi Lokonga on loan from Arsenal.

Done deal: Matt Doherty joins Atletico Madrid

It was not a deal that we were expecting at the start of the day but Spurs right-back Matt Doherty has departed for Spain to join Atletico Madrid after the Premier League club agreed to terminate his contract.

Done Deal: Bournemouth sign Hamed Traorè

Bournemouth make Hamed Traorè their sixth signing of the month.

The midfielder joins from Sassuolo on an initial loan with the deal to be made permanent in the summer.

Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said: “Hamed is another exciting prospect and we are delighted to have secured his services.

“He is young, ambitious and one of the hottest talents from Serie A. He fits the profile of the type of player we are looking to recruit and will significantly add to our creative resources.

“After Bill Foley had completed his takeover of the club last month, he said he would be investing in the squad and has certainly done so.

“Hamed’s arrival takes to six the number of new signings we have made this month and the squad is looking strong for the second half of the season.”

Done deal: Forest bring in Brazilian Felipe

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of defender Felipe from Atletico Madrid on an 18-month deal

The defender has only made four appearances for Atletico this season and becomes Forest’s 25th(?) signing of the season and third Brazilian of the winter window.

Felipe said: “It was a dream of mine to play in the Premier League and I’m really excited to be part of this wonderful, fast-growing club. You can see it’s a club looking to really grow. It’s a big challenge for me and I made a clear decision to be part of the history here and grow with the club.”

Felipe has joined Nottingham Forest from Atletico Madrid.
Felipe has joined Nottingham Forest from Atletico Madrid. Photograph: Nottingham Forest

Andy Brassell is on Sky Sports News to finally make this ordeal worthwhile. What a lovely man.

Do we all remember former Leeds midfielder Ronaldo Vieira? Well … the 24-year-old has just joined Torino from Sampdoria.

Joao Cancelo on his relatively surprising move to Bayern Munich.

Chelsea and Benfica are closing on an agreement regarding the structure of the deal for Enzo Fernandez.

Jonjo Shelvey went on the pitch at half time of Newcastle v Southampton to say his goodbyes prior to his move to Nottingham Forest being confirmed.

“Spurs have had a real quiet window, and they really need to find someone to shore up their defence other than Pedro Porro, preferably someone like Hakimi or Molina,” says Finn Mitchell.

That might be optimistic, Finn.

You never know … they might sell someone.

Done deal: Naouirou Ahamada joins Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have signed midfielder Naouirou Ahamada from Stuttgart.

The French midfielder have agreed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Premier League.

“I’m very happy to have joined this club. It is an amazing club, and I’m very excited to get started,” Ahamada said. “I want to show my quality, and I want to help this team with my quality. I want to play games, work hard, train hard and progress, and help the team.”

Almost a done deal for Manchester United and Marcel Sarbitzer, according to Fabrizio Romano. Could this be a shrewd bit of business?

Less than two hours to go until the deadline in England SLAMS SHUT. Anything can happen in the next 120 minutes.

“Who is signing the toddler - Chelsea or Forest?” asks Richard Hirst. “Or maybe this is who Everton have been holding on for.”

Having seen her play, she is a bit more Forest than Chelsea.

Another outgoing at Spurs. Harvey White heads to Derby on loan.

Admir Pajic emails: “I really don’t get what Everton are up to. There are clubs which transfer policy is a mess and there is Everton. Their team has been poor and it’s even worse now that they have lost Anthony Gordon and signed no one (unless Andre Ayew pops out of nowhere).

“Then again, given the quality of recruitment they have been doing in the last five years, maybe the best news for the Everton fans is they haven’t spent a dime from Gordon’s fee.”

If Everton end the day without a new player, they face a bleak final few months of the campaign. Sean Dyche will have seen the flaws in the squad.

Nottingham Forest look set to sign Felipe from Atletico Madrid after passing a medical. The Brazilian centre-back has played only four times this season, which is a theme for the club’s new signings. Jonjo Shelvey has not started in the league for Newcastle and Keylor Navas has not featured at all for PSG. It’s an interesting plan.

Done deal: Bournemouth sign Illya Zabarnyi

Bournemouth have signed Ukrainian centre-back Illya Zabarnyi from Dynamo Kyiv.

The 20-year-olf has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal at Vitality Stadium.

AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake told the club website: “We are absolutely delighted to bring Illia to the club and he arrives with a burgeoning CV.

“Despite only being 20, he has played at the highest level for club and country and has established himself as one of the most sought-after young defenders in the world.

“We are very much looking forward to seeing him continue his development with us and know he will be a valued and important member of our squad.”

Illya Zabarnyi has Champions League experience.
Illya Zabarnyi has Champions League experience. Photograph: Joao Rico/DPPI/REX/Shutterstock

Good evening! When they asked for someone to see this blog home, I was the only option. After all, I have sent two texts to agents today while looking after a toddler. I am primed for what will be a frenetic end.

Deadline day: latest news and deals

Time to hand over to another Will, in the form of roving reporter and Proper Football Man, Will Unwin. I’ll leave you with the latest news:

  • Jorginho has joined Arsenal from Chelsea in a £12m deal

  • Chelsea’s £115m move for Enzo Fernández is still a ‘work in progress’

  • Marcel Sabitzer has landed in Manchester to complete his United loan move

  • Pedro Porro has signed his Spurs contract with an announcement immiment

  • Southampton are working to seal moves for two new forwards, and Keylor Navas is heading to Forest

  • Fulham have signed Sasa Lukic from Torino and are still looking at Brandon Williams and Cédric Soares

Stoke's Harry Souttar set to join Leicester

Stoke City are trying to sign defender Charlie Cresswell from Leeds United after agreeing a deal to sell Harry Souttar to Leicester. The centre-back has spent the first half of the season on loan at Millwall but Leeds are happy for him to make a permanent move elsewhere.

How’s it going, Mary Waltz? “Football players around the world are treating Everton as if the club has an STD. Barring a miracle we are going down. Sigh.” Ah. Still, what Everton actually have is an SMD – Sean Mark Dyche.

In today’s transfer apparently pulled out of a hat, Tottenham’s Matt Doherty is poised to join Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the season.

Thanks to Michael on Twitter, who informs me that Marcel Sabitzer’s plane has landed in Manchester – and he beat Sky Sports News to the punch, too.

Southampton are already one down on the night against Newcastle, but it’s not all bad news – according to BBC Radio Solent, the Saints have agreed a £22m deal for Kamaldeen Sulemana, with the Rennes winger set to join alongside Genk forward Paul Onuachu, who will cost £18m.

Let’s settle this once and for all …

Jorginho joins Arsenal for £12m fee

It’s official – Jorginho leaves Chelsea to sign an 18-month deal with league leaders Arsenal. The Euro 2020 and Champions League winner will hope to steer Mikel Arteta’s side towards the Premier League trophy, stepping into an engine room stretched by injuries.

“All I can promise is that I’m going to give my all to represent this club,” Jorginho, who will wear No 20, tells the club website. “Jorginho is a midfield player with intelligence, deep leadership skills and a huge amount of Premier League and international experience,” says Arteta.

Updated

There is also some actual football going on tonight, as Newcastle take on Southampton in their Carabao Cup second-leg tie. The Mags are 1-0 up from the first leg, but it’s all to play for.

Remember Wesley Hoedt? The centre-back had an underwhelming spell at Southampton, and was last seen getting an absolute roasting from Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht. Well, he’s now heading back to England with Watford.

To leave themselves able to sign Arsenal’s Cédric Soares on loan, Fulham are expected to sign Shane Duffy on a permanent deal. Duffy has been on loan since the start of the season. Clubs can only have two loans and Fulham have already taken Dan James from Leeds.

As Kevin Campbell wanders around the Sky studio searching for Everton moves, a few tidbits of information from their transfer doyens. Firstly, Keylor Navas’ move to Nottingham Forest looks on – it feels like an expensive way to cover Dean Henderson for four or five weeks, but fair enough.

Sky are also reporting two possible outgoings at Manchester United: Brandon Williams to Fulham, and Axel Tuanzebe to Stoke.

“Chelsea’s spending over the last two windows has been almost as entertaining as the early Abramovic days,” says Matt Dony. “Is Shaun Wright-Phillips available?”

Ah, Sweep. Too good for City, not good enough for Chelsea, then went back to newly-rich City, where he was no longer good enough. Terrific player on his day, though.

It’s also the WSL transfer deadline day, of course, and while the biggest story appears to be Manchester United holding on to Alessia Russo, there have been a few significant moves. You can catch up here:

Sorry to bring more bad news, Everton fans – according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the club sounded out deadline-day regular Michy Batshuayi, but he preferred to stay at Fenerbahce and “would only have switched for a stable project” (per Ornstein). Yikes!

It’s been a quietish day around Europe, but here’s a familiar name on the move. Thorgan Hazard joins PSV Eindhoven on loan, with an option to buy. He’s also another reported Everton target who has ended up elsewhere.

Done deal: Fulham sign Sasa Lukic from Torino

Fulham have sealed a deal for Serbia midfielder Sasa Lukic, who had a medical in Italy yesterday. The 26-year-old will cost around £8m and strengthens Marco Silva’s midfield options. Earlier today, two fringe Fulham players departed, with Josh Onomah joining Preston and Nathaniel Chalobah off to West Brom.

Here’s more from Jamie Jackson on United’s move for Marcel Sabitzer, who arrives on loan from Bayern Munich following an injury to Christian Eriksen.

Per Fabrizio Romano, Marcel Sabitzer’s loan to Manchester United is a done deal, with just the last-minute formalities to be done.

Enzo Fernández to Chelsea 'work in progress'

Enzo Fernández’s move to Chelsea is being described to me as a “work in progress”. On it goes. Earlier this evening it was said to me that the deal could have been arranged for the summer. Chelsea’s preference remains to sign the Benfica midfielder and have him in their squad now.

In other news, West Ham’s young left-back Emmanuel Longolo, who is on loan at Birmingham, could make the deal permanent for £400,000 tonight.

Updated

Some news from north of the border: Oliver Abildgaard has left Celtic, joining Serie A strugglers Verona on a free. The Danish midfielder only made nine appearances for the Bhoys in his 18 months at the club.

Staying in Glasgow, and Rangers have signed Belgian playmaker Nicolas Raskin from Standard Liège. He’s Michael Beale’s second signing of the month after Todd Cantwell arrived from Norwich. Aberdeen have bagged Ajax keeper Jay Gorter on loan, while left-back Thierry Small has swapped Southampton for St Mirren, also on loan.

Earlier today, Fulham announced that Josh Onomah had been released from his contract. We’re pleased to say he’s already found a new club – with Preston snapping him up, in a move that was probably in the works.

On Everton, Richard Hirst asks: “Have I missed something or has the £40m for Gordon been put towards the best stadium in the Championship? Mary Waltz must be tearing her hair out.”

I would have expected some movement today, although it’s notable that for all Sean Dyche and Marcelo Bielsa’s differences, they are both adept at getting the maximum from limited squads, without spending big. I still think Dyche may prove to be the best January signing of all.

Fair enough, Gary. Hang on – don’t you support Everton?!

Sky are reporting that Ayozé Pérez will leave Leicester on loan tonight, joining La Liga top-four chasers Real Betis. In other loan moves, Juventus full-back Luca Pellegrini has ended his stint at Frankfurt to join Lazio and young Manchester City centre-back Luke Mbete will spend the rest of the season at Bolton.

Done deal: Diego Llorente joins Roma on loan

In the last hour, Roma have confirmed the arrival of Diego Llorente from Leeds. The centre-back will make the move permanent for £18m in summer, after suffering an injury-hit spell at Elland Road.

Diego Llorente takes his place in the Roma dressing room.
Diego Llorente takes his place in the Roma dressing room. Photograph: Fabio Rossi/AS Roma/Getty Images

Updated

“When you get used to the mad world of the Premier League, the rest of Europe seems odd,” writes Kári Tulinius. “As a Stuttgart fan, I’ve been worrying that our great fullback, Borna Sosa, would get snapped up. The latest news is that Leverkusen backed down as they didn’t want to pay €15m for him.”

Speaking of which, the Bundesliga window is now closed without much in the way of a late flurry. One stat that tells its own story – Chelsea have outspent the entire French, German and Italian leagues combined in this window.

It certainly seems like Boehly is focused on the future rather than trying to rescue this season, although Mudryk and Fernández (if it happens) can make a big difference straight away. The young signings suggest they are prepared to give Graham Potter time, but we’ll see how that pans out.

So, how are Chelsea getting on in their efforts to sign Enzo Fernández today? It seems that negotiations are ongoing with Benfica over the staggering of the £115m payment, with Todd Boehly keen to spread the cost over five years.

Speaking of Sambi Lokonga, Fabrizio Romano and our friends at Get French Football News are reporting that a late loan move to Crystal Palace is done! Palace do like a deadline-day move, don’t they?

As for Cédric Soares’ loan move to Fulham, it’s still in the balance, according to Sky. It won’t be the biggest loan deal involving a disgruntled Portuguese full-back done today, either way.

“Let’s not forget Jorginho was ranked as the fifth-best player in the world by the Guardian only last year,” notes Gil Southwood. “A smart acquisition for a fraction of the price of Caicedo, and a huge improvement on Elneny and Sambi Lokonga. His penalties will still do my head in, though.”

I’m firmly in the thumbs-up camp as far as this move goes. Given that it’s deadline day, what more reliable midfield options are available for £12m?

Updated

Deadline day: the big stories so far

Thanks, Will. OK, there are five precious hours until the Premier League window closes. Here’s what’s been happening:

  • Chelsea are closing in on Enzo Fernández for what would be a British record £115m fee

  • Manchester United are working on a loan move for Marcel Sabitzer

  • Pedro Porro is set to complete his on-off-on again Spurs move

  • Jorginho has been pictured in an Arsenal shirt as £12m move looms

  • João Cancelo plays down rumours of rift with Pep Guardiola after sealing Bayern loan move

  • … and so much more!

Updated

Right, that’s me done. Niall McVeigh takes over for the early evening stint, so send him all your Jorginho takes from now on.

Returning to the Championship, Millwall have signed Duncan Watmore from Middlesbrough on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee. “Duncan is a player that doesn’t need too much introduction,” said Gary Rowett, Millwall’s manager, after the news was announced. “He’s a player that has played at Premier League and Championship level. I watched him many moons ago for England Under-21s … so I’ve been well aware of him as a player. He’s got really good energy, good pace, he can beat people and open the game up.”

Martin Connor has something to add. “Jorginho to Arsenal is like Milner to Liverpool in 2015: experienced, proven winner to leaven the bread of the fearless youngsters. Arteta merging the Guardiola/Klopp playbook?”

Ruminations on Jorginho continue to pour in, with Zack Gomperts-Mitchelson the latest to share some thoughts. “Just to reassure you not all Arsenal fans are utterly deranged Twitter weirdos I’m pretty satisfied with our window, particularly if you take in the background context. The transfer market is, due to Chelsea’s financially incontinent tactic of just paying the astronomical number that selling clubs quote as their starting position for negotiation, utterly ruined at the top level, particularly in January.

“Arsenal is always going to be a club that needs to negotiate so big money transfers are always going to be a bit of a saga, they cannot get a reputation for overpaying, they simply can’t afford it. Unlike some, they don’t have the infinite money cheat. As such, Arsenal demonstrating both an ambitious plan A and a pragmatic plan B that doesn’t ruin future cracks at plan A is another example of the Edu regime continually learning its lesson. Last winter we got no one and it bit us, this year we’ve arguably addressed our three biggest weaknesses … following this window we don’t even need to sack off the Europa League to keep our title shot intact.”

Done deal: Spence joins Rennes

Djed Spence’s loan move to Rennes has been confirmed. Olivier Cloarec, the Ligue 1 club’s executive chairman and general manager, is a happy man, saying: “We had very good feedback and we are very pleased that he chose Stade Rennais FC because he had possibilities at other European clubs … the recruitment team works all year round and this is not a last-minute discovery. He is a player that we have been following for a while.”

Djed Spence has joined Rennes until the end of the season
Djed Spence has joined Rennes until the end of the season. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA

Just when it looked like Southampton had done all their business for the day, it seems that Paul Onuachu, the Nigeria striker, could also be on his way to St Mary’s after a €21m (£18.5m) fee was agreed with Belgian side Genk. Everton had also been linked with a move for the 28 year old, who is a towering 6ft 7in in his socks and has 16 senior international caps, but Southampton have now struck a deal and are hoping to complete the transfer before the deadline.

Admir Pajic has some further observations to make. “If Chelsea had a WhatsApp group and all of their players had joined it at once, the whole application would probably crash worldwide. As for Jorginho, from the Arsenal fan point of view, our season is relying on Thomas Partey’s fitness. We don’t have anyone who is half as good as he is to deputise and we’ll have at least 21 games until the end of the season. Jorginho is hardly the worst possible back-up out there.

“I reckon most Arsenal fans put a lot on our transfer inactivity from last January as a main reason we failed to make top four while completely forgetting Spurs made two big January transfers that improved them 30-40% in the second half of the season: [Dejan] Kulusevski and [Rodrigo] Bentancur. Now, if we draw parallels, City haven’t made any significant additions while losing an important player in Cancelo (yeah, he may be down the pecking order of late but he was a key player last season) and we have added three players to our squad in three critical positions (a left-footed centre-back, a versatile forward and an experienced midfielder). I’m not saying that we will win the league but Jorginho is hardly a Kim Källström signing!”

Guy Stephenson writes in with a subtle joke about Jorginho’s penalty technique. “No need for a flight for Jorginho of course. It’s just a hop, skip and a jump to the Emirates.”

Aston Villa have been busy organising loans in the last few hours, it seems. Aaron Ramsey, who spent the first half of the season at Norwich only for his time at Carrow Road to be cut short by a knee injury, has made a temporary switch to Middlesbrough. The younger brother of Jacob Ramsey, he made 20 appearances for Norwich all told. Meanwhile, Villa have recalled Bertrand Traoré from his loan at Istanbul Basaksehir.

The WSL transfer window officially closed for domestic transfers at 5pm, though deals that were done in good time could still be announced. It’s midnight for international transfers, mind, so clubs can still sign players from abroad for several hours yet.

There’s news from the Championship, where Luton have completed the loan signing of Marvelous Nakamba from Aston Villa. Rob Edwards, the Luton manager, is suitably chuffed, saying: “We’re so pleased to be able to bring Marvelous in. That position is one we’ve been looking to fill for a while. I think we’ve got a lot of good midfielders, but not many natural, deep midfield players and I really like what he’s about. He’s got a brilliant attitude, great physicality, good quality and I think he really suits the way we play, so he will fit in really well with us.”

Sound the alarm! Ring the bells! Jorginho has been spotted in an Arsenal shirt! In lieu of someone tracking his plane – presuming he didn’t take a one-minute flight from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates in a private jet – this will have to do.

Peter Oh writes in via email. “Hi Will, Pep wasn’t happy with João’s attitude so he loaned him out? Cancelo culture rearing its head again!” Sorry, but that’s a yellow card and next time it’ll be a straight red.

Marc Cucurella, the Chelsea left-back, seems to have been taken by surprise by Jorginho’s imminent departure. You’d think they’d have a WhatsApp group to discuss this sort of thing.

Sergi Canós has officially swapped Brentford for Piraeus until the end of the season. Phil Giles, Brentford’s director of football, has suggested that it is not necessarily the end for the former Barcelona and Liverpool youngster in west London, saying: “[Sergi] has not played as many games this season as he would have liked, and this is a great opportunity for him. We have the option to extend Sergi’s contract in the summer, so it is very possible that we will see him back with us.”

There is increasing confidence that Chelsea will reach an agreement with Benfica for Enzo Fernández. I’m told they think this is the player who will revive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. The midfielder has been given permission to have a medical in Portugal in case the deal goes through.

In case it wasn’t clear, “imaginary dinner party guests” are guests at an imaginary dinner party as opposed to guests who are themselves imaginary. Like it or not, Sunak, Rees-Mogg and Boehly are all very much real. Anyway, why not sign up to Football Daily and have similar ramblings hurtle directly into your inbox? It’s a rhetorical question, no answers please.

Football Daily has landed and Scott Murray has some thoughts on Rishi Sunak, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Todd Boehly, AKA the Blues Brothers. The worst imaginary dinner party guests imaginable? Quite possibly. Here’s Scott with several other, funnier, jokes.

Updated

James Hupp, an Arsenal fan, writes in with further reflections on the Jorginho hoo-ha. “Unless it’s just (understandable) dislike of Chelsea, the Jorginho angst is so odd. From all reports it’s a low fee and short contract for someone who is best at the base of a midfield with lots of possession. Yes, he’s a departure from the strategy that built this squad. So is [Leandro] Trossard. But that’s the whole point. A young cohesive squad that can win a title doesn’t need every single move to be focused on building for something, the something is already here. If you can help yourself now without hurting yourself tomorrow, why wouldn’t you?

“I get preferring Caicedo, but Arsenal didn’t choose not to buy him, they made a substantial offer that was rejected. Brighton said no. It’s weird to me that departing from the strategy in one way – ageing player, but affordable and ready for this style of play – is being scoffed at, but departing in another – exciting talent, but paying so much that anything less than a regular team-of-the-season contender is a failure – is what people want the club to do.”

Union Berlin have confirmed that Isco will not be heading to the Alte Försterei after all. Oliver Ruhnert, the club’s managing director, has suggested that the two parties had an agreement in place, only for it to collapse.

In WSL-SWPL transfer news, Natasha Flint, the Leicester striker, has joined Celtic on loan until the end of the season. “I’m delighted to bring Tash to Celtic,” said Fran Alonso, the Hoops’ head coach. “I’ve known her for a few years and I suffered a few times when she scored against my previous team [Lewes]. On top of that, Tash brings lots of experience at the highest level and I’m hoping the move to Celtic will add more silverware to her CV.”

Fabrizio Romano has the latest on Iván Fresneda, the teenage Real Valladolid right-back who has been the subject of interest from Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. Let’s just say it’s good news for Valladolid fans.

Pete Mumola writes in with some musings on Arsenal’s transfer strategy and the mixed reaction to their interest in Jorginho. “In fairness to Arsenal fans (including myself), buying ageing players from Chelsea is so different from the current model that’s rebuilt the club. He’s not awful, but it’s a major comedown from [Moisés] Caicedo … personally I would have loved to see [Yunus] Musah instead (at least half as cheap and more first-team fixtures despite being even younger than the Brighton player).”

Tottenham’s resurrected move for Pedro Porro inches ever closer. Here’s the latest from David Hytner.

Elsewhere, Di’Shon Bernard, the young Manchester United centre-back, has joined Portsmouth on loan for the remainder of the campaign. “Di’Shon is a fantastic young player with a great pedigree behind him,” said John Mousinho, Pompey’s new head coach. “He also has first-team experience from his previous loan spells, including in the Championship, so we know what he can do. It was someone we didn’t think we were going to be able to bring in, so we’re really pleased to have him here.”

Back in the Premier League, Fulham have agreed “a mutual termination of contract” with Josh Onomah. Signed from Tottenham in 2019 as part of the same deal which took Ryan Sessegnon to Spurs, he has been part of two promotion-winning Championship campaigns at Craven Cottage but has found his game time limited since their most recent return to the top flight.

Updated

Me again, is it? How have I ended up back here? I only just left! Look, fine, let’s get back under way with the news that Terem Moffi, a reported target for West Ham and Southampton, has been snapped up by Nice. While they have agreed an initial loan deal with Lorient for the 23-year-old forward, it comes with an obligation to buy which will bring the total package to around €30m (£26.5m).

And so, with two hours remaining until the WSL window shuts, eight until the English men’s leagues one does, and nine to go in Scotland, I’m going to hand you back to Will Magee to separate the transfer wheat from the “ITK” chaff for the rest of the afternoon. Thanks for your company and comments.

Crystal Palace are closing in on a loan deal to sign Albert Sambi Lokonga from Arsenal having also agreed a deal to sign 20-year-old Naouirou Ahamada from Stuttgart for £10.5m. Both signings are expected to be completed before today’s deadline, with the Belgium midfielder having agreed the switch to south London after the pending arrival of Jorginho. Meanwhile the highly-rated teenage St Mirren midfielder Dylan Reid also looks set to join on loan.

More from the Sky ticker of frenzy: Marseille look like they’re jumping ahead of Southampton in the race for Braga’s attacker Vitinha, though Saints have landed one player today in Kamaldeen Suleman. And Felipe and Jonjo Shelvey have been to the City Ground for their Nottingham Forest medicals.

Isco’s intriguing move to high-flying Union Berlin appears to have hit a snag:

News from Scotland, with the 21-year-old Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin arriving at Rangers’ training centre ahead of his proposed move from Standard Liège. Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou, on the other hand, has ruled out any later moves for players. Elsewhere, St Johnstone are set to secure the Dundee striker Zak Rudden on loan and Aberdeen have ended a turbulent month with a deal for the Ajax goalkeeper Jay Gorter, subject to a work permit.

Updated

Back to Manchester, and Jamie Jackson’s latest update from Old Trafford:

Bayern’s Marcel Sabitzer, now a target for Erik ten Hag.
Bayern’s Marcel Sabitzer, now a target for Erik ten Hag. Photograph: DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Updated

Fulham: Josh Onomah’s contract at Craven Cottage has been terminated by mutual consent, PA Media reports. The 25-year-old midfielder, who has featured only twice in the Premier League this season for Marco Silva’s high-flying side, having arrived in summer 2019 as part of the deal under which Ryan Sessegnon joined Tottenham.

A bit more background on that João Cancelo move to Bayern Munich: turns out Pep Guardiola was unhappy with the full-back’s attitude to having a reduced role in the team in recent matches. Our man in Manchester has more …

Done deal: Kamaldeen Suleman to join Southampton

Southampton have agreed to pay a club record fee to sign Kamaldeen Sulemana from Rennes. The Ghana winger will cost an initial €25m plus a potential €5m in future bonuses having spent 18 months in Ligue 1 since joining from FC Nordsjælland. Everton and RB Leipzig had also been linked with a move for the highly-rated 20-year-old. That should be it for Nathan Jones, who has already brought in Mislav Orsic, Carlos Alcaraz and defender James Bree.

The Sky Sports ticker of hubbub is reporting that Arsenal’s move for Manchester United’s Alessia Russo is off. Lyon’s Signe Bruun is now a likelier target, as Jonas Eidevall tries to find cover for the injured Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema.

A few more nuggets: Crystal Palace are close to a loan deal for the highly regarded teenage St Mirren midfielder Dylan Reid, Brentford’s Sergi Canós is on his way to Olympiakos and Leicester have secured a move for the Ghanaian striker Nathan Opuku, who will be loaned out straight away to the Belgian club Oud-Heverlee. Also arriving at the King Power Stadium is Stoke’s Harry Souttar on a £15m deal. That could be a smart move by Leicester, giving Brendan Rodgers’s team some much-needed steel. The Australian international is currently having his medical.

Updated

News of Christian Eriksen’s indisposition has prompted Manchester United to enquire about Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer, as the man who never sleeps at this time of year confirms. Panic-buy?

At the bottom of the Premier League, Bournemouth have agreed a deal for the Dynamo Kyiv centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi worth around £20m. The 20-year-old is currently coughing for the docs at the Vitality Stadium.

A couple of stories for you: first, more details on Christian Eriksen’s injury:

Then, some rather unedifying news about the Women’s World Cup’s sponsors.

Updated

Still no white smoke over Stamford Bridge with Chelsea and Benfica still locked in talks over the structure of the payment – Chelsea want it in instalments, Benfica want a bit more up front. This one’s going to drag the day into all manner of shapes isn’t it?

On the subject of the big deal that is set to go through today, Jorginho to Arsenal, the north London club have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny is out for a lengthy period, probably the rest of the season, with his “significant” knee injury, which adds a bit of context to Arsenal’s move for the Italian.

Updated

Some WSL latest: Natasha Dowie of Reading is set to rejoin Liverpool on loan for the rest of the season. The former England striker Dowie spent three fruitful years at Liverpool a decade ago.

Natasha Dowie in action for Reading earlier this season.
Natasha Dowie in action for Reading earlier this season. Photograph: K Hodgson/SPP/Shutterstock

Updated

“If Jorginho’s career trajectory is going to be similar to Willian’s on moving from Chelsea to Arsenal,” wonders Richard Hirst, “can we cut out the bad patch and have him come straight to Fulham? At least then we’ll have someone who usually scores penalties.”

Thanks Will, Tom here to steer you through the next couple of hours of frantic human-chattels day manoeuvring. Some other bits and bobs – Southampton have agreed a £24.6m deal for the Rennes and Ghana wideman Kamaldeen Sulemana, while Saints manager Nathan Jones’s old club Luton have secured a loan deal for Aston Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba.

Updated

Right, it’s lunchtime, so I’ll hand over to Tom Davies for a while. Play nice!

Chelsea remain in negotiations with Benfica over a fee for Enzo Fernández. Last night there were indications that an offer of £115m – a new British transfer record – would be enough to land the midfielder. That would have seen Chelsea pay more than Fernández’s €120m release clause – but the payment would have been spread out in six instalments. However Benfica are continuing to insist that Chelsea pay the full clause in one lump sum. It’s left the deal looking unlikely at the moment, but there’s time for that to change. As an aside, this could stop Conor Gallagher from leaving Chelsea today.

Having sustained an ankle injury in the FA Cup win against Reading, Christian Eriksen looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines. Asked whether he could make a late move to sign a midfielder in response, Erik ten Hag has played down the prospect. “Something coming out on Deadline Day is difficult and you can’t make policy on such bad injuries,” he said. “But we have players in the midfield department, good players. We also have players who can fill the gap.”

Christian Eriksen will be unavailable for some time
Christian Eriksen will be unavailable for some time. Photograph: Tim Goode/PA

Updated

Bottom of the Bundesliga with the second-worst defensive record in the division, Schalke have attempted to strengthen their spine by signing Éder Balanta from Club Brugge. Thomas Reis, Schalke’s head coach, is delighted to have gained “a very robust defensive midfielder who is good at winning challenges and is defined by his physicality … I’m convinced that his style of play will help ease the pressure on our defence and be of benefit to us.” Football Manager fans may remember Balanta as a must-buy circa 2015. Whether or not he will have the same impact at Schalke as he did in the game is yet to be seen.

Julian Nagelsmann, the Bayern manager, is equally pleased. “[Cancelo] can feature in a number of positions and is a very attacking-minded defender,” he said. “He’s able to cut in and is good from crosses. He’s got a different character to some of the other players [we have] in his position. It’s a logical signing for us.”

Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern’s sporting director, has been practically purring over Cancelo’s arrival. “We’re very happy that João Cancelo will now play for FC Bayern,” he said. “We’ve signed him on loan now and have the possibility of signing him permanently in the summer. João is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities. He’s the optimal fit in our system with his attacking style of play and dynamism, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team. I’m convinced João will help us in the coming weeks and months where we want to win titles.”

In his debut press conference as a Bayern Munich player, Cancelo has spoken about his first impressions of the club. “It’s a great feeling so far [to have signed],” he said. “I knew how big the club is and wanted to take this opportunity and be able to train with the other players as soon as possible. I’m looking forward to getting to work.”

Hello! And thanks to Barry for digging in on the Deadline Day hill and holding it at great emotional and spiritual cost all morning. Let’s start with some big news from Aberdeen. Having just parted ways with their manager, Jim Goodwin, they have brought in Jay Gorter, a 22-year-old goalkeeper, for the benefit of his successor. Gorter arrives on loan from Ajax until the end of the season and will compete with Joe Lewis and Kelle Roos for a starting spot between the sticks.

Handover: With a little over 11 hours of this nonsense remaining, this lightweight is off for a lie down in a darkened room. Fear not, however, as Will Magee is champing at the Deadline Day bit and ready to take up the cudgels …

Updated

Nottingham Forest: With Wayne Henessey the only fully fit senior goalkeeper currently on their books, Forest are in the market for a new one and had been trying to get Keylor Navas in from Paris Saint-Germain. Reports suggest they are now looking elsewhere as talks between the two clubs have reached an impasse.

In better news for Forest fans, Jonjo Shelvey and Felipe are expected to finalise their moves to Forest today, while the club are trying to trim squad numbers by offloading Steve Cook, Lyle Taylor and Cafu. Reading are interested in taking Taylor and Cafu off their hands, while Steve Cook is attracting interest from Luton Town, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers.

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté is facing three weeks out with a hamstring injury. He’ll miss Premier League games against Wolves, Everton and Newcastle and possibly the Champions League last 16 first leg against Real Madrid. With Virgil van Dijk also sidelined, his absence could affect Nat Phillips’ chances of leaving Liverpool today.

Updated

Done deal klaxon! Cancelo to Bayern Munich confirmed

Manchester City full-back João Cancelo has completed his loan move to Bayern Munich. City are not expected to bring anyone in to replace him.

Updated

Swindon Town: A lifelong Swindon Town, Squires will be excited by the news that his beloved club have just appointed the former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris as their new manager. It’s the 44-year-old’s first job in management following spells as Frank Lampard’s No 2 at Derby County and Chelsea.

Updated

David Squires: The latest masterpiece from our resident cartoonist has dropped and even by his own lofty standards, this one is an absolute belter. Feast your eyes and prepare to LOL …

Arsenal: Five points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand over their nearest rivals, Arsenal have just agreed a deal to sign an excellent European Championship and Champions League winner as back-up for their midfield. The response from the more deranged elements of their Twitter fanbase? Calls for the head of their sporting director Edu. You really couldn’t make it up. #EduOut

Updated

Burnley: Manchester United academy graduate Deji Sotana has signed for Championship leaders Burnley from French side Nice and claims to be happy happy about the move, although you wouldn’t know it to look at his face in this photo. As well as Manchester United, the 20-year-old from Waterford has had spell at Brentford B and made two appearances for Kilmarnock during a loan spell earlier this season.

Jorginho to Arsenal ...

A winner of the Euros with Italy and the Champions League with Chelsea, Jorginho is almost certainly leaving Chelsea for Arsenal in an 18-month deal worth around £13m. Likely to serve as midfield cover for Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey, his move does not mean Arsenal have given up on their pursuit of Moises Caicedo but has nevertheless sent vast swathes of Arsenal Twitter into a weird and inexplicable fury. Never change, Gooners. Never change.

Everton: Sunderland have completed the signing of 21-year-old Everton centre-back Joe Anderson on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. “Joe fits the profile of player we want to keep adding to the club and we look forward to supporting his development in a senior environment,” said Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray. “He will add immediate competition and depth to our squad and is going to be a real long-term asset for the club.” An academy graduate who has been at Everton since the age of 15, Anderson has never made a senior appearance for the club.

Chelsea’s pursuit of Enzo Fernandez: “Benfica’s president, Rui Costa, is trying to line up a replacement for Fernandez,” writes Jacob Steinberg. “I’m told that the man in the frame is the Feyernoord midfielder, Orkun Kokcu. But Chelsea still need to agree a fee with Benfica for Fernandez.”

Spurs are clearing the decks at right wing-back ahead of Pedro Porro’s arrival from Sporting, which will be on an initial loan until the end of the season. Spurs are then obligated to pay the €45m fee in the summer to make the move permanent. Matt Doherty is primed to join Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the season while Djed Spence is set to go to Rennes – also on loan for the remainder of the campaign. Antonio Conte’s remaining option at right wing-back is Emerson Royal.

Sporting defender Pedro Porro (centre).
Sporting defender Pedro Porro (centre). Photograph: Patrícia de Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Djed Spence is off to Rennes

Tottenham Hotspur: Unloved by Antonio Conte who clearly doesn’t rate him, Tottenham right-back Djed Spence is reported to be undergoing a medical ahead of a loan move to Ligue 1 side Rennes. Brought in from Middlesbrough last summer, Spence signed a five-year deal with Spurs after impressing on loan at Nottingham Forest. He has made just six appearances for Tottenham this season but, paperwork permitting, could make his Rennes debut against Strasbourg tomorrow night.

Meanwhile at Everton: “I might be a bit late to the party on this one but I have just spotted tenacious midfielder Vinny Samways tucking into a sandwich in a trendy Liverpool cafe,” writes Darrien Bold. “It seems as if Sean Dyche’s first act as Everton manager is to reintroduce some of the old dogs of war spirit into the midfield, with rumours of a cool £2m deal doing the rounds over here.”

It is likely to be a very quiet day for Jürgen Klopp. Having moved quickly to sign Cody Gakpo at the start of the window for an initial £35m, the Liverpool manager has insisted repeatedly there will be no further incomings this month despite the clamour for him to revitalise midfield. There is interest from the Bundesliga in defender Nat Phillips but otherwise little need for Sky to hang around the AXA training centre in Kirkby all day.”

Updated

The latest on Jorginho:

Updated

Porro coming to Spurs on loan

Doherty’s departure for La Liga will have had Spurs fans jumping to all sorts of conclusions about Pedro Porro and the news is positive. The Spanish defender is undergoing a medical today and will sign on loan for £5m until the end of the season, at which point Tottenham will be obliged to pay an additional £34m to make his transfer permanent.

Updated

Doherty off to Atlético Madrid on loan

Nobody saw this one coming but Tottenham’s Republic of Ireland international right wing-back is off to Spain to play for Diego Simeone. Doherty is going to the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on loan until the end of the season and the Spanish club will have no option or obligation to buy him in the summer.

Matt Doherty is leaving Tottemnham for a loan spell at Atletico Madrid.
Matt Doherty is leaving Tottemnham for a loan spell at Atlético Madrid. Photograph: Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Updated

Pep Guardiola always insists he does not wish to keep any player who wishes to leave so João Cancelo must have pushed for his loan to Bayern Munich.

It is a definite head scratcher though: this is a footballer good enough for the past two PL XIs of the season – at left- and right-back and who is a classic Pep midfielder masquerading in defence.

Rico Lewis’s emergence as the manager’s new Philipp Lahm in this hybrid stopper-creator role probably means he felt able to sanction Cancelo’s departure – Lewis may move to the left and Kyle Walker again be selected regularly on the right of the rearguard. But in a season in which Pep has bemoaned his players’ spirit (and that of all the club), it seems a gamble he could do without.

Updated

Newcastle sign Ashby from West Ham

Newcastle United have announced the signing of 21-year-old right-back Harrison Ashby from West Ham for £3m including add-ons. Eddie Howe tried and failed to sign Ashby in the summer but has landed the young defender, who had made it clear he would not be signing a new deal with West Ham in the summer because he was unhappy with the limited number of opportunities he was getting under David Moyes.

Updated

Fulham are on the verge of signing Serbian central midfielder Sasa Lukic from Torino for the thick end of £9m but are believed to have cooled their interest in taking Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares on loan as they are not prepared to cover all his wages. Fulham are also believed to be favourites ahead of Newcastle United in the race to sign the Norwegian midfielder Sander Berge, who is expected to leave Sheffield United today. It’s not all one-way traffic at Craven Cottage, mind, as Nathaniel Chalobah is dropping a division and heading to West Brom.

It’s not going to be a quiet day at Chelsea. Is it ever a quiet day at Chelsea? Anyway, all the focus at the moment is on their pursuit of Enzo Fernández from Benfica, with talks still ongoing over the structure of what would be a record fee in English football. I’m also told not to rule out a late bid for Moises Caicedo.

As for outgoings, Jorginho to Arsenal is advancing and Hakim Ziyech is expected to join PSG on loan. The Jorginho deal would appear to suit both parties. He’s out of contract in the summer, so Chelsea can make some money on him now, and Arsenal get some cover and experience in midfield.

Updated

Leicester City: A rock in the heart of Australia’s defence during the World Cup despite having spent the previous year sidelined with a serious knee injury, Stoke central defender Harry Soutar is on his way to Leicester in a deal worth £15m.

Jorginho to leave Chelsea for Arsenal?

While Arsenal have not given up on their pursuit of Moises Caicedo, Brighton are showing no great inclination to sell the young Ecuadorian midfielder. They’ve lined up Chelsea midfielder Jorginho as an alternative and it seems Graham Potter would have no issues with the Italian international leaving for the Emirates. Should Jorginho sign for Arsenal, one imagines it would hugely diminish Newcastle’s chances of signing Conor Gallagher.

Everton: Having appointed Sean Dyche as their new manager and with the thick end of £40m in readies in the war-chest following the sale of Anthony Gordon to Newcastle, today could be an interesting one for Everton.

Genk striker Paul Onuachu, Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga and Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher are among those to have been linked with a move to Goodison Park.

Gallagher is keen on staying at Chelsea but could find his opportinities limited if they are successful in their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez. The 22-year-old is also believed to have admirers in Newcastle.

Conor Gallagher is happy at Chelsea but could be off to Everton or Newcastle United.
Conor Gallagher is happy at Chelsea but could be off to Everton or Newcastle United. Photograph: Paul Greenwood/REX/Shutterstock

Marquinhos joins Norwich from Arsenal on loan

Norwich City: Arsenal’s 19-year-old Brazilian winger Marquinhos has signed for the Canaries and moves to Carrow Road on loan for the rest of the season.

Updated

Leeds sign Diogo Monteiro

Leeds United have completed the signing of Swiss-born Portuguese international central defender Diogo Monteiro from Servette. Monteiro has been brought in to replace Spanish centre-back Diego Llorente, who is off to Roma.

Leeds have also finalised the loan signing of Weston McKennie from Juventus and in an interview conducted with Sky Sports in the stand at Elland Road following the announcement, the clearly delighted American midfielder described his club’s new stadium as ““dope”. McKennie’s move could be made permanent in the summer.

The American midfielder Weston McKennie has moved to Leeds on loan from Juventus.
The American midfielder Weston McKennie has moved to Leeds on loan from Juventus. Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters

Updated

Tottenham Hotspur’s reportedly aborted effort to sign Pedro Porro from Sporting is very much back on again. The Spanish right-back flew into Luton Airport overnight to undergo a medical at Spurs, while his current and prospective new employers thrash out the terms of a deal that could amount to £42m. Should negotiations come to a satisfactory conclusion, Sporting are expected to sign former Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin from Barcelona as Porro’s replacement.

Updated

Chelsea are closing in on the £115m signing of Enzo Fernández after productive talks with Benfica over a deal that would break the British transfer record, writes Jacob Steinberg.

Manchester City: Unhappy with the amount of playing time he’s been getting at Manchester City, having featured in fewer than half of their games since the World Cup, Joao Cancelo is off on loan to Bayern Munich, who will have an option to buy the Portuguese full-back in the summer.

Nottingham Forest have agreed a fee with Atlético Madrid to sign the veteran Brazilian centre-back Felipe, who is on his way to England to cough for the Forest medics. Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is also Nottingham-bound, while Steve Cooper is also hiopeful of bringing Keylor Navas in from Paris Saint-Germain as cover for his injured goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Atlético Madrid defender Felipe is on his way to the CIty Ground.
Atlético Madrid defender Felipe is on his way to the CIty Ground. Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

Leicester City: Former Syracuse University striker Nathan Opoku has forfeited the opportunity to be first pick in the MLS draft to sign for Leciester City instead. The Ghanaian youngster has signed a three-year deal at the King Power Stadium and will be loaned out to Belgian side OHL Leuven in Belgium to further his development.

Women’s football: “Arsenal have tabled a world-record bid for the Manchester United and England forward Alessia Russo,” reports Suzanne Wrack. Read on …

Bournemouth: Gary O’Neil’s relegation-threatened side have just agreed a £24m deal to sign Ukrainian central defender Ilya Zabarnyi from Dinamo Kiev. The 20-year-old will travel to London this morning to conduct his medical. Bournemouth have already finalised the loan signing of Uruguayan left-back Matias Vina from Roma and are also reported to be after Sassuolo’s Ivorian midfielder Hamed Traore.

Dynamo Kyiv defender Ilya Zabarnyi is en route to Bournemouth.
Dynamo Kyiv defender Ilya Zabarnyi is en route to Bournemouth. Photograph: Łukasz Gągulski/EPA

Preamble

Here we are, then. With the transfer window due to close at 11pm (GMT), there’s still time for plenty of horse-trading as football clubs the length and breadth of the country engage in a last-minute scramble to get their ducks in a row ahead of the final months of the season.

On a day when the good and the great of Sky Sports News are forced to reassess their life choices as they stand in the freezing cold outside stadiums and training grounds around the country, we’ll bring you all the news that’s fit to print and much that almost certainly isn’t as the final Deadline Day deals of the window are thrashed out.

Updated

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