The January transfer window threatened to take an unusual turn this weekend with the news that Wolverhampton Wanderers are now in ‘pole position’ to sign Thomas Lemar from Atlético Madrid.
Lemar cost Atlético £51m in the summer of 2018 – that’s over £20m more than Wolves paid for their record signing, Raúl Jiménez – but the France World Cup winner has failed to impress at the Wanda Metropolitano. The forward has scored just four goals in 64 appearances for the Spanish side, failing to hit the target this season. Yet that hasn’t put off the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur– all of whom have been linked to Lemar at various points over the last few months.
However, a report in The Sun this weekend claims that Wolves are now frontrunners to sign Lemar, owning to the close relationship his agent, Jorge Mendes, has with the Midlands club, having previously helped to take Jimenez, Jonny Otto and Diogo Jota to the Molineux.
An equally curious piece of transfer news followed on Monday, as our Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney reported that José Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur have this month discussed a move for Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke – despite the fact the Belgian has scored just four goals in the last two seasons.
But the Premier League has seen even stranger signings than Lemar moving to Wolves or Spurs snapping up Benteke. Here are some of the strangest transfers in football history: including World Cup winners, Argentine double acts and not one but two cases of mistaken identity.
For all the latest news from the January transfer window, click here.
