🚨 Conor Bradley shines in Liverpool win, Deadline Day exit for Chelsea star, Karim Benzema latest, Arsenal's plans for youngster, and more
Today's Deadline Day round-up, featuring Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and much more!
Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing! Thanks for reading and enjoy today’s updates as we edge closer to this evening’s deadline…
Today’s top stories:
Possible Chelsea exit among the big deals to look out for on Deadline Day
What next for this Arsenal youngster after his impressive loan spell?
Jonathan Johnson’s column on Karim Benzema’s desire to return to Europe
AC Milan
Chaka Traore has left AC Milan on loan to join Palermo until the end of the season - no WBA move despite links. Meanwhile, Argentinian centre-back Marco Pellegrino is set to join Salernitana on loan.
Arsenal
Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Lino Sousa from Arsenal on a permanent move, here we go! An agreement is in place for the 2005-born full-back who’s set for a medical. Rangers, Galatasaray and Juventus were also keen but Sousa is set to join Villa.
Swansea City have agreed a deal to sign Arsenal’s 2004-born talent Charles Sagoe Jr on loan until the end of the season - he’ll join on Deadline Day. An agreement is in place as the relationship remains very good between the two clubs after the Charlie Patino deal with Arsenal last summer.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Lino Sousa from Arsenal on a permanent move, here we go! An agreement is in place for the 2005-born full-back who’s set for a medical. Rangers, Galatasaray and Juventus were also keen but Sousa is set to join Villa.
Aston Villa have completed the deal to sign Joe Gauci from Adelaide United on €1.5m fee plus add-ons. He will sign a contract until June 2028, and his medical is already done.
Atletico Madrid
Official, confirmed: Gabriel Paulista has joined Atletico Madrid from Valencia on a free transfer. Done deal.
Barcelona
Vitor Roque scored the winner for Barcelona against Osasuna - his first goal for the club! FT Barcelona 1-0 Osasuna [Pictures from ViaPlay Sports]
Barcelona remain optimistic on the deal for Lucas Bergvall, but Tottenham are also trying hard to hijack the move - more info here from Fabrizio Romano.
Barca have made contact with this experienced German manager…
Bayern Munich
Bryan Zaragoza has been clear in the recent hours: he wants to join FC Bayern immediately. Negotiations between Granada and Bayern are still ongoing to agree on compensation fee.
Bryan Zaragoza will already train with Bayern today. He’s on his way to Germany, all formalities to be completed in the next hours. Granada will receive €3m compensation plus add-ons up to €4.5m total package.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth confirm Romain Faivre has been recalled from his loan move at French side Lorient. He’s replacing David Brooks with immediate effect.
Brighton
Mo Dahoud’s loan move to Stuttgart will include an option to buy, being negotiated with Brighton today. The fee is expected to be around €9/10m.
Chelsea
Chelsea have decided for Andrey Santos to join Strasbourg. It’s all set to be completed now. Internal discussion confirmed plan to loan the Brazilian midfielder to the French club as the best option for his development. The player has accepted the move and will leave Chelsea for Strasbourg today. Chelsea still believe Santos has potential to become a top player.
Armando Broja was left on the bench tonight for Chelsea. Wolves had a loan proposal rejected on Tuesday, Fulham approached Chelsea yesterday for a loan with option to buy clause. More from Fabrizio Romano here.
Crystal Palace
Adam Wharton has just signed the contract and he can be considered a new Crystal Palace player. A £22m deal has been in place since Tuesday with Blackburn.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina have completed deal to sign Andrea Belotti on loan from AS Roma, here we go - confirmed. Belotti has travelled for medical tests and contract signing. It’s imminent - a new striker for Fiorentina.
Fulham
Andre was linked with Fulham this January, so why has it gone quiet? Exclusive info here from Fabrizio Romano.
Genoa
Vitinha has signed his contract as a new Genoa player on loan from Marseille. The deal includes a €25m buy option clause, not mandatory.
Juventus
Carlos Alcaraz has successfully completed his medical tests in London as a new Juventus player. Alcaraz will sign the contract later today and then travel to Turin on Thursday, as soon as his VISA is sorted. It’s a loan deal with a buy option in excess of €40m from Southampton.
Lille
Lille have agreed on a deal to sign Andrej Ilic from Valerenga for a transfer fee of around €4m. Medical tests have been booked. Final details are being sorted on personal terms, with the deal set to be completed.
Liverpool
What a goal and what a performance this was from Conor Bradley as Liverpool beat Chelsea at Anfield. FT Liverpool 4-1 Chelsea [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Andre was linked with Liverpool this January, so why has it gone quiet? Exclusive info here from Fabrizio Romano.
Could this hugely impressive sporting director be a leading candidate for the role at Liverpool?
Jurgen Klopp on failed Liverpool transfers: “We wanted Bellingham and realised it would not happen. We thought we could maybe do Caicedo. So we went in... but he had an emotional agreement already with Chelsea and Pochettino. Lavia had his own reasons. So we were there. We were lucky... we found Wataru!”
Luton Town
Luton Town have agreed a deal to sign 2005-born talent Taylan Harris from Reading on a permanent transfer. The player has also agreed on personal terms, deal done.
What next for Albert Sambi Lokonga after his recent improvement on loan at Luton?
Lyon
How close did Karim Benzema really come to returning to Lyon?
Plus - what’s the story behind Nemanja Matic’s surprise move to Lyon?
Lyon have agreed both Orel Mangala and Said Benrahma deals on club side. Mangala will join on permanent deal, Benrahma on €5m loan fee plus €12m buy clause. There are details to be clarified on personal terms with Mangala and player’s camp side with Benrahma.
Manchester City
What an assist here by Kevin De Bruyne for Julian Alvarez as Man City earned a comfortable win over Burnley. FT Man City 3-1 Burnley [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Manchester United
What’s the latest on strikers being offered to Manchester United?
Erik ten Hag: “Marcus Rashford case is closed. Marcus has taken responsibility and for the rest it's an internal matter. Case closed. Lack of respect? Nothing to do with that. The statement is clear and we have to focus on winning football games.”
What’s the difference between the Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford situations? Ten Hag’s response: “We can sort out everything internally. Jadon chose to go public. It has nothing to do with the relationship between me and Marcus.”
Sevilla chairman Del Nido on Hannibal Mejbri: “We are very excited about Hannibal, we are convinced that he is going to play a lot. Hannibal is a magnificent professional, he trains well, he takes care of himself... everyone is happy with him, don’t trust other stories.”
Marseille
Olympique Marseille are trying to sign a new right-back in the final 24 hours of the transfer window. Negotiations are ongoing for both Zeki Celik and Lorenz Assignon - Marseille will decide the best option soon. OM hope to find a solution for Jonathan Clauss to leave the club.
Napoli
Matteo Politano has signed a new long term deal at Napoli valid until June 2027, as revealed two weeks ago. Club confirm agreement in place despite denials - it was all done, now official.
Newcastle United
Newcastle have just signed the formal documents for Alfie Harrison as he’s set to join from Man City. The contract is valid until June 2027 with an option for further season. Newcastle are convinced of his potential for the present and future.
Nottingham Forest
Official, confirmed: Gio Reyna has joined Nottingham Forest as they beat competition from three clubs. It’s a loan move until June, with NO option to buy clause. Reyna signed a new deal at Borussia Dortmund until June 2026 ahead of the loan move.
A deal has been agreed between Nottingham Forest and Sporting for a loan with buy option deal for Rodrigo Ribeiro. The buy option structure is being finalised but it should be around €12-13m. A medical has been booked for Rodrigo.
PSG
Could Rafael Leao be a top target for PSG to replace Kylian Mbappe? Jonathan Johnson takes a look in his exclusive column here.
Wolves and PSG have completed contracts for the Noah Lemina loan move with buy option clause. Medical tests completed. Done deal, as expected.
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti on Luka Modric being out of contract in June. “Modric is a legend of Real Madrid and football. He is the one who will decide about next season.”
Official, completed: Peter Gonzalez has left Real Madrid to join Valencia on loan, with a buy option clause of €2m. Real Madrid will have a 50% sell-on clause.
Roma
Tommaso Baldanzi to AS Roma, confirmed and here we go! The real fee invested is €10m plus €5m add-ons. Dan and Ryan Friedkin did their best effort to make this deal happen. It’s a five-year contract for Baldanzi, on his way to Roma for medical and signing.
Roma have rejected formal approach from Anderlecht for talented 19-year-old left-back Jan Oliveras. Roma believe his potential is huge and he’s key part of club plans for present and future.
Salernitana
Jerome Boateng arrived yesterday in Salerno in order to undergo medical tests and sign for Salernitana. It will happen after the end of the transfer window as he’s a free agent.
Sevilla
Sevilla chairman Del Nido on Hannibal Mejbri: “We are very excited about Hannibal, we are convinced that he is going to play a lot. Hannibal is a magnificent professional, he trains well, he takes care of himself... everyone is happy with him, don’t trust other stories.”
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday are now back in talks to sign Duncan McGuire after Blackburn deal collapsed. Discussions will follow with Orlando City in the next hours.
Stuttgart
Serhou Guirassy looks set to stay, so what really happened with the in-demand striker this January? Fabrizio Romano has the latest details here.
Sunderland
Romaine Mundle was in England yesterday morning to complete his move to Sunderland. Medical and contract signing today for former Tottenham talent joining Sunderland on a permanent transfer from Standard Liege.
Tottenham
James Maddison took a cheeky dig at Neal Maupay after the Brentford man copied his darts celebration! FT Tottenham 3-2 Brentford [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Ange Postecoglou on signings for Spurs on Deadline Day: “I said signings were unlikely yesterday, and they’re even less likely today.”
Valencia
Valencia have submitted a formal proposal to Sevilla for Rafa Mir. Loan with buy option bid has been sent to Sevilla in direct contact made by Javier Solis and Miguel Angel Corona for Valencia. Negotiations ongoing.
Official, completed: Peter Gonzalez has left Real Madrid to join Valencia on loan, with a buy option clause of €2m. Real Madrid will have a 50% sell-on clause.
Wolves
Wolves and PSG have completed contracts for the Noah Lemina loan move with buy option clause. Medical tests completed. Done deal, as expected.