After a mid-window lull as teams assessed their options and the ability to extract value from a notoriously difficult January transfer window, clubs expect trading to intensify in the next few days.
“Everyone is spinning plates and there’s a lot of big name players available in this window. The final few days could be interesting,” one executive told i.
So where to look in the final seven days of a possibly hectic transfer window? Here are eleven deals to monitor.
Dele Alli
Is there a player in the Premier League more in need of a fresh challenge than Alli, once considered one of England’s most compelling talents but now ostracised by yet another manager at Tottenham?
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When every Premier League player will return from Afcon - including Liverpool's Salah and Mane24 January, 2022Antonio Conte has told him he is free to depart and the 25-year-old’s advisors have been sourcing interest in the midfielder for most of the month. It’s understood feelers have been put out to most of the top clubs in Europe but with considerable wage demands and Spurs looking to recoup some of the money laid out on the England international, there has been little interest from the elite-level sides.
Newcastle have a long-standing interest in Alli and were close to recruiting him under the former regime. They have opened up talks with his advisors and Spurs are open to letting him go. There is also interest from overseas.
Whoever signs him – and a departure looks inevitable now – faces a sizeable task to reignite his form after a long-term decline which has seen a series of heavyweight coaches unable and then unwilling to integrate him into their plans.
Dusan Vlahovic
The blue riband option of the January transfer window, Arsenal’s interest in the £50million-rated Fiorentina striker could bring the forward’s future to a head.
His club are willing to listen to offers but Vlahovic may opt to wait until the summer when a longer list of suitors may emerge. Arsenal are reported to be considering Alexander Isak as a possible alternative.
Diego Carlos
Newcastle are set to make a new £40million bid for the Sevilla defender.
They are offering Carlos a four-and-a-half year contract that will double his money so it is little surprise the Brazil international is pushing for the move. His agents met with Sevilla officials over the weekend to set out a timeline for what they expect Newcastle to do this week.
Sevilla have resisted a series of bids so far but the money on offer is eye-watering and sources believe their resolve will crack in the coming days.
Jesse Lingard
Manchester United’s handling of Lingard has been genuinely baffling this month.
The Red Devils told interested clubs earlier this month that they would be retaining his services until the summer, which surprised recruitment sources given he hardly figures in Ralf Rangnick’s plans. The official reason was to retain numbers at Old Trafford but edging towards deadline day, there has been a rethink.
Lingard has interest in returning to West Ham but Newcastle are pushing hardest to sign him.
Newcastle’s January surprise
Sources at St James’ Park have always believed that as deadline day approached, prices would become more realistic as they accept Newcastle’s is the only offer that is likely to materialise.
They have spoken about a “potential surprise” incoming as the fog of confusion around this month’s dealings lifts. Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, who they made enquiries about before the month started, feels like one to watch.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The most high-profile striker who is actively being touted around this month, Aubameyang’s departure from Arsenal would be in the best interests of all parties.
But with wages that top the £300,000-a-month mark, there’s no guarantee he will leave – especially as interest so far has only emerged from Saudi side Al Hilal.
Barcelona are among the clubs who will try and persuade Arsenal to strike a deal which would see them pick up some of the tab for his wages if a loan deal can be struck.
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James Tarkowski and Burnley’s watching brief
Sean Dyche’s Burnley are one to monitor. With question marks swirling around the ability of the club’s new ownership to fund new signings to support their survival battle, the calibre of reinforcements they do manage to attract will tell its own story. So far, strikers have been hard to come by.
Dyche refused to rule out the departure of Tarkowski on Sunday. Newcastle, inevitably, have a long-standing interest having already raided Turf Moor once for Chris Wood.
Aaron Ramsey
A recruitment source said Ramsey was “one to watch” in the coming days, with Juventus having already told him to find a new club.
The problem for Ramsey is England’s biggest clubs aren’t doing business so offers thus far have arrived from Crystal Palace, Leicester, Burnley and Newcastle. So far he has been happy to wait to see what else emerges but Ramsey’s return to the Premier League is nailed on.
If he can recover his form, one of those mid to lower-table contenders is getting a huge asset.
Christian Eriksen
Arguably the most fascinating deal of the month would be Eriksen’s return to the Premier League, which took a significant step closer to happening when an agreement was struck with Brentford over the weekend for a short-term deal.
Eriksen will now undergo an extensive medical which sources have pointed out could extend beyond next week’s deadline because he is a free agent. Brentford’s Danish connection appears to have swung things in their favour – along with a plan to offer him a platform to recover his place in the national team.
Old Trafford’s expensive understudies
Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson and Anthony Martial are all keen to find clubs where they will get opportunities but Manchester United remain reluctant to let them go.
The Red Devils say they need back up in the event of injuries or Covid cases. But all three have restated their desire to go through their agents – and Manchester United will surely listen to offers.
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Defoe’s next move at the age of 39 is arguably League One’s biggest transfer tale – and it’s understood that it will be resolved by the end of this week.
His departure from Rangers last month was a sudden exit from Ibrox for a player who still believes he has plenty to give. Defoe, those close to him insist, is “sharp, hungry and desperate to get back to playing as soon as possible”.
His first preference was an emotionally charged return to promotion-chasing Sunderland and while that move is far from dead and buried, it feels as if he has been compelled to consider other options. Given his priority is to play as many minutes as possible, any decision will be based on how likely he is to get into the team rather than the money on offer.
Charlton, Oxford and Portsmouth have all registered interest in a player who wants to draw a line under an incredible career on a high.
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