Transfer deadline day: Chelsea close on Fernández, Bayern sign Cancelo – live | Transfer window
Key events
Right, it’s lunchtime, so I’ll hand over to Tom Davies for a while. Play nice!
Jacob Steinberg
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.
Ten Hag unlikely to sign Eriksen replacement
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.”
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 …
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.
Crystal Palace are interest in Albert Sambi Lokonga, talks are taking place on potential loan deal until June ???????????? #CPFC
Final decision up to Arsenal and the player. pic.twitter.com/ozc6lyDoN6
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2023
Andy Hunter
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.
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.
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.
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
“You strengthen while you’re on top” – SAF
Not good enough, we missed on a Ballon D’or midfielder. Edu is holding this club back, enough is enough, sack him with immediate effect! #EduOut pic.twitter.com/pekQxaortV
— kiLL edward (@LionKingOnIce) January 31, 2023
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.”
David Hytner
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.
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.”
Andy Hunter
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.”
The latest on Jorginho:
Jorginho to Arsenal, here we go! Deal agreed on £12m fee, Chelsea accept conditions and documents are being prepared ????⚪️???? #AFC
Personal terms agreed, contract until 2024 with option further year.
First contact revealed yesterday night — medical booked.
Arteta, key factor. pic.twitter.com/JHm1rMTzxw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2023
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.
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.
Jamie Jackson
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.
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.
✍️ We are delighted to announce the signing of Harrison Ashby from West Ham United!
Welcome, @harrisonashbyy! ⚫️⚪️
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) January 31, 2023
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.
Jacob Steinberg
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
