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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Nick Ames (now), Marcus Christenson , Gregg Bakowski and Tom Davies (earlier)

Transfer deadline day: Ighalo's Manchester United loan move confirmed - as it happened

Odion Ighalo is flying in from China to be the answer to Manchester United’s striking vacancy.
Odion Ighalo is flying in from China to be the answer to Manchester United’s striking vacancy. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

That's it for tonight!

It’s been ... deadline day. Thanks for joining me, and my colleagues earlier on. Here are today’s highlights – dig in and acquaint yourselves!

Have fantastic weekends, all, and see you around here soon!

It’s not all bad news, Hull fans – you’ve just signed Motherwell striker James Scott.

Done deal! West Ham sign Jarrod Bowen from Hull

Thank goodness for LNER! The exciting forward signs from the Tigers at last!

Updated

Last bit of Brexit I promise, but earlier today – a lot earlier today – I asked Mikel Arteta about the importance of being able to live, work and cooperate freely in Europe on his own career, and on how important it should be for future footballers too. He replied:

There is a lot of talk about the future restrictions that players and clubs will find. I don’t know. I prefer to wait for the resolution. I have experience both ways as you say. I have a very clear idea of what I would like but to say it, I don’t think it is the right time to do it.

It’s not only the right to be given the opportunity to live the experience I was able to live in this country, but how I was treated in this country. And that’s something that has to be related. We can open spaces for people, but only so they are welcome after that; they can be treated [well] and contribute to something they have done. If not there is not really a point."

If you want a bit of politics – although I have plenty of other words for it – in your evening, here is our news section’s leaving-the-EU blog:

Jacob is doing the lord’s work tonight.

Oh and also, the UK has just left the European Union. What an absolute disgrace.

The transfer window has slammed shut! Except it hasn’t quite because deals can still go through until 1am, in two hours’ time, as explained earlier.

Chelsea were offered the chance to sign Salomon Rondon on loan. They almost did it, but didn’t.

Done deal – Aston Villa sign Borja Baston from Swansea

They’ve added to their fairly thin striking ranks with a player who cost the Swans big money but never quite worked out there. Can he live up to his potential at Villa Park?

Ed Aarons tells me, with a “sad face” emoji, that Nathan Ferguson’s move from West Brom to Crystal Palace is off due to concerns over his fitness.

Hope nobody’s planning to doze off for a while!

Done dealConnor Wickham, who I once tipped to enjoy and long and glorious England career, signs for Sheffield Wednesday on loan from Crystal Palace. I regret literally nothing.

West Brom have snapped up the veteran ex-Cardiff right-back Lee Peltier on a free. And Huddersfield have enlisted their old keeper Jonas Lossl on loan from Everton. One more! Motherwell have prised Rolando Aarons from Newcastle on loan.

Bit of extra info here from Fabrizio. When do we think Ighalo will be ready to play? It’s such an odd one, this.

Done deal! Odion Ighalo signs on loan for Manchester United

We’ve just had confirmation from our man Jamie Jackson – one of the window’s strangest deals is very much over the line, and he arrives from Shanghai Shenhua!

Updated

Another done deal in Scotland: Rangers sign the very handy Hibs striker Florian Kamberi on loan. Earlier on they made the extremely interesting addition of Ianis Hagiwhose dad is exactly who you think.

Amiens allegedly not happy with Tottenham on Victor Wanyama ...

Arsenal were open to loaning one or two of their youngsters out today, I gathered, but at this point nothing seems to be doing. Their incoming business is done, I can tell you that much.

“Remember when that cleaner tried to repaint that ancient fresco she accidentally wiped off? That’s Man Utd signing Ighalo,” writes Stephen Carr (presumably not *that* one).

Done deal! Leicester sign Ryan Bennett on loan from Wolves

Handy cover for the Foxes, I’d say.

It’s just occurred to me that, in their current climate, the idea of United signing Ighalo has been pretty much normalised. Zoom out and it’s nuts, no?

Promising signing for Macc. John Brewin, sitting opposite me, is quietly impressed.

Bristol City have signed Markus Henriksen on loan from Hull City until the end of the season and Leicester defender Filip Benkovic is set to follow the Norway midfielder through the door at Ashton Gate. Benkovic was given the green light to depart after obtaining defensive cover in Wolves’ Ryan Bennett earlier.

Jarrod Bowen is in London! And hot-footing it straight to the London Stadium! That news comes from your own Jarrod Bowen tracker, Jacob Steinberg. This deal looks as if it’s getting done.

Done deal in the Championship: Bristol City have signed Hull’s midfielder Markus Henriksen on loan for the rest of the season.

And in Scotland Dundee have signed the weirdly out-of-favour Hearts captain Christophe Berra on loan.

Excellent pub. This is quite making me want to nip down there but I’ll settle for swift Tyskie from the off licence along Hornsey High Street instead.

Bournemouth are closed for business and, on the face of it, have survived a challenging window unscathed. Eddie Howe has managed to retain prized assets Nathan Ake and Joshua King amid serious interest from Chelsea and Manchester United respectively, and they have a clutch of players set to return from injury in February, most notably David Brooks, which will aid their fight against relegation. They may not have bolstered but Bournemouth are feeling positive at the close of play.

Oh hello ...

This is excellent.

The Bowen move to West Ham “should go through”, Jacob Steinberg tells me. The railways have done their job.

If you can’t be bothered to scroll through all the wit, wisdom, pith and punnery that this blog has whipped up over the last 12 hours or so, here’s our roundup of deadline day so far:

Sounds as if Ibrahim Amadou, who you might remember hopped eagerly aboard a Eurostar from Lille in the forlorn hope that he might secure a move to Palace or West Ham two years ago, has quietly returned to Sevilla from his loan at Norwich.

Hey, though, at least none of us are in Parliament Square!

Bowen is still on the train, apparently. This is not going through by 11. They might need to do it over a few craft beers in the Star of Kings.

Don’t forget to keep up with everything going on around Europe with our Transfer Interactive! John Brewin is lovingly putting all the latest moves together as we speak:

Clubs actually have until 1am to complete transfers as long as they get their “deal sheet” to the Premier League by 11pm. The deadline as you and I know it is merely a false peak! I won’t be with you til 1am. Sorry. Beauty sleep required before reporting from West Ham tomorrow and ... maybe ... seeing Jarrod Bowen paraded to his cheerful new public.

Not aware of any delays on the Kings Cross line at the moment. Jarrod Bowen has a clear run down to London! We’re only five minutes round the corner if West Ham’s contract gurus need to hotdesk this.

Done deals in League One: Lincoln have signed midfielder Liam Bridcutt on loan from Nottingham Forest, who perhaps felt guilty at recalling the prolific striker Tyler Walker from his own temporary spell there. Also Sunderland have signed the forward Antoine Semenyo on loan from Bristol City.

Just under two hours til the deadline. Just under two hours til Brexit. Both, in their different and thoroughly abject ways, parables of our times.

Must be questions over Ighalo’s match-fitness given Shanghai’s season is nowhere near starting. It’s a very strange deal to put it mildly! As Nick Miller, once of this parish, points out succinctly:

Sounds like the Ighalo deal is done unless something unforeseen at the last moment scuppers it ...

Not been a big window so far for Premier League clubs to get top targets over the line, has it? Are deals at the top end just much more difficult to do now than ever?

Manchester United believe a loan deal for Odion Ighalo, the 30-year-old Shanghai Shenhua striker, can be done before 11pm. Complications may be his reported £300,000-a-week wage and China’s current crisis regarding the Coronavirus. When the Nigerian can travel from the country to Manchester is unclear.

Updated

What a career he has had ...

The obvious question: wouldn’t you send Bowen down by, errrm, car? But who are we to reason why ... just think it’d be a bit harsh if one of those snazzy new Azumas copped the blame for this all going to pot.

Further news from Jacob: Jarrod Bowen is on a train down to London from Leeds.

The jokes if this one doesn’t go through on time will write themselves.

Should get a few more through the door at tomorrow’s relegation six-pointer!

Manchester United are in contact with Odion Ighalo’s agents right now. It’s a difficult deal to complete, both because of his salary and due to the obvious time constraints ... but they are trying to do it.

Sensible boy!!

Could Ighalo be United’s new Henrik Larsson? What do we reckon?

It’s a cracking surname and a cracking loan move – with option to buy – for the Anderlecht youngster, which perhaps explains their earlier Pjaca signing.

More on that Matheson deal – Wolves have loaned him back to Rochdale for the rest of the season. If the name rings a faint bell, this might be why:

Done deal! Sheffield United sign Panagiotis Retsos from Bayer Leverkusen

And that’s the hat-trick! The 21-year-old centre-back joins on loan, I think with an option to buy.

Done deal! Brighton sign Tariq Lamptey from Chelsea

You wait an hour and a half for one, and then ... the young right-back signs permanently for Brighton and that’s a really good addition for them. I saw Lamptey make a really good impression when he came on at the Emirates on 29 December.

Done deal! Wolves sign Luke Matheson from Rochdale

The 17-year old prodigy is a Premier League player with the Molineux club!

The big banner-sized Sky yellow ticker hasn’t had too much of a workout today, but it now says ... that Manchester United are in for Odion Ighalo.

Brighton have had a bid turned down for Ipswich youngster Armando Dobra, according to this reliable Ipswich news site.

A breakthrough in the Bowen negotiations?

Watford have released Sebastian Prodl, their fairly long-serving centre-back. He’d only played three times this season but, at 32, could surely do a job for someone.

Now this is an interesting idea! Won’t happen but could Liverpool have improved up top, really?

I always felt Liverpool should pick up Giroud to solve the riddle of a player who could add some immediate help as a back up striker - he would just love the balls in from TAA and Robertson and who would not be getting in Brewster's way long term. The guy is likeable, hard working and incredibly underrated

Just under four hours til the deadline, although realistically a lot of deals don’t get rubber-stamped til some time after. A few years ago I was here doing this til nearly 2am while I waited for Arsenal to sign Danny Welbeck! I won’t be doing that again ... Welbeck’s going nowhere tonight.

Maya Yoshida’s loan move from Southampton to Sampdoria is now A DONE DEAL. He can extend it for another year beyond this season too. That’s two senior defenders loaned out by the Saints today.

Been quite temperate in London today. A far cry from this time in 2009, when London was cloaked in snow and everyone was will-he-won’t-heing about Andrey Arshavin’s move to Arsenal. I remember watching him tuck into a poached egg in north London at around the same time he was reported to be flying back to Russia in a huff. Those were the days!

Updated

A handy signing for Vincent Kompany’s boys. Pjaca arrives on loan having not really cut it at Juventus, but he’s a decent and powerful winger.

This one’s going to the wire!

There we go – that explained it!

Wigan Athletic defender Antonee Robinson will remain at the DW Stadium after his move to AC Milan could not be completed. Robinson, 22, travelled to Milan this morning after the two clubs agreed a fee for the permanent transfer on Thursday evening. The USA international underwent a medical examination with AC Milan, though further medical tests with the Italian authorities were required, which were subject to a 72-hour deadline. As such, the deal could not be formally ratified before the 8pm Italian Transfer Deadline on Friday.

Wonder what exactly went wrong for Antonee Robinson – very odd if that’s a contractual issue. Wigan might seem a bit of a comedown when he gets back ...

Updated

Steve Bruce has revealed that Newcastle had a private plane booked and practically warming its engines up before Boubakary Soumare decided he wanted to stay at Lille rather than become a £35m Newcastle signing. The plan was for Bruce to fly to Northern France and collect the 20-year-old France Under-21 midfielder last Sunday. “We thought we had a chance to bring him in but the boy changed his mind,” said Newcastle’s manager. “We had a plane booked but he’s only young and he’s been linked with a lot of top clubs.”

One player seemingly happy to be on Tyneside is Christian Atsu – the Ghana winger appears to have rejected a mooted loan move to Celtic in order to fight for his place at St James’ Park. Atsu, incidentally, is one of the nicest footballers I’ve interviewed.

The fact that the Soumare move was sanctioned by Newcastle’s owner Mike Ashley as recently as last weekend casts doubts on the idea that the club is about to pass into Saudi hands. Why would you spend £35m if you were on the brink of selling up? Steve Bruce was careful what he said about a majority Saudi “takeover” fronted by the British financier Amanda Staveley this morning but he did not appear convinced it will actually happen.

Updated

Swansea forward Borja Baston is travelling to Aston Villa for a medical. The Spanish striker, a once £15.5m record signing and one of the club’s highest earners, had travelled up to Preston on Friday ahead of Swansea’s game on Saturday but Baston is heading south now, ahead of Friday’s 11pm deadline. Baston started the season like a train, scoring six goals in nine matches, but has not scored since September. Swansea could also listen to offers for Tom Carroll and Nathan Dyer before the window closes.

Updated

Ohhhhhh ... that must be absolutely *heartbreaking* for Robinson.

Emre Can joins Borussia Dortmund from Juventus!

Can

The Bundesliga run-in is going to be fantastic, isn’t it?

Updated

Do send your emails and tweets in to the addresses above – what else would you be doing on your Friday night?

Jonathan Woodgate should know a decent centre half when he sees one so Middlesbrough fans will be gratified to hear their manger hail Harold Moukoudi’s arrival on loan from Saint-Etienne as “a coup”. The former England defender also describes the 22-year-old Cameroon stopper – who represented France at junior levels – as “a unit”. Football compliments do not come more glowing than that ...

Handy signing for Rennes. Anyone remember when Nzonzi was, for a seemingly interminable number of windows, tipped as possible Answer To Arsenal’s Midfield Problems?

The latest sorry episode in the Bury saga comes to you here, courtesy of David Conn:

James Dart, he of eagle eye and terrifyingly good recall, points out that Van Aanholt was talking in ... wait for it ... his own “PVA”-customised minivan.

Another one from “the continent”.

Sky are interviewing Patrick van Aanholt inside what looks like the back of a taxi or chauffeur car. He’s really focused on getting fit and is happy to still be at Palace, which he says is a great club with great fans, despite interest from PSV. As long as he is there he will give 100% for the club. I think you get the idea by now.

Any lower-league deals caught your eye so far today? We aren’t all about the moneyed elite here!

Done deal! RB Leipzig have signed left-back Angelino on loan from Man City with, it appears, a £25m option to buy. The Bundesliga leaders are strengthening and, at 23, Angelino does fit their profile of polishing up younger players. He’s never quite looked cut out for life at the Etihad though, if we are honest.

Ashley-Seal is a very promising player and a stalwart of our own Next Generation series.

Are you looking forward to West Ham v Brighton tomorrow? I am; I’ll be covering it. Jacob Steinberg is too; he’s previewed it:

The Danish winger has never quite done it for Dortmund but, at 21, still has time to make an excellent career. The fee is apparently €9m.

I was at Mikel Arteta’s press conference earlier, because deadline day never sleeps, and he said “I will say no, but you never know” when it came to any last-last-last-gasp additions to go with Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari. I think that actually did mean “no” if I’m honest ... but is there anything else you’d like before 11pm, Arsenal fans?

Updated

More things to show you! Here is Suzanne Wrack on Nick Cushing’s long goodbye at Manchester City Women:

Manchester United’s hopes of signing Josh King may be fading. Can they snaffle up a loanee instead? Jamie Jackson has more:

It’s difficult for Liverpool to improve on their squad, says Jurgen Klopp. Here is Andy Hunter’s piece:

Updated

That last one is a sensational deal for Brentford. Baptiste, in particular, has been on another level for Oxford in League One at times. It’s a bargain from one of the country’s best recruitment teams.

Brentford have enhanced their Premier League promotion push with a double deal for Oxford pair Shandon Baptiste and Tarique Fosu-Henry. Baptiste, 21, joined from Reading five years ago and has captained Karl Robinson’s side, while Fosu, 24, joined Oxford from Charlton last year having also started his career at Reading.

West Ham will not be signing Barcelona right-back Moussa Wague. They’ve walked away from the deal – it was going to be a loan with an option for a permanent 18m euros transfer – as he wouldn’t have qualified for a work permit.

Hello. I am Nick Ames. I will be with you until the bitter end. But let’s hope it is nothing but sweetness!

And that, believe it or not, is it from me. A cameo, at best. I wish I could do more but here is Nick Ames to take you through until 11 or 11.30pm or whenever he has had enough. I’ll go back to updating the transfer interactive. Have a lovely evening everyone.

This should be a cracking game tomorrow, the lunchtime kick-off between Leicester v Chelsea.

Updated

Jarrod Bowen update! He has completed his medical with West Ham. The Hull forward is now travelling to London to continue discussions over personal terms with the club. It’s going to drag on but the expectation remains the transfer will go through before the deadline.

Now to France then ... where it looks as if Nicolás Gaitán is on his way to Lille. France Football reports. He seemed to be linked with every top six Premier League club for a number of years before moving to China and then the United States. He is now on his way back to Europe. Also must say that I like the layout of France Football’s transfer blog with the crests and the stories you can click into.

OK, I know neither Hull nor Peterborough are in France but someone in the office shouted “Maddison has gone” and sent me a gchat so I felt compelled to put it up.

Done deal! Marcus Maddison has joined Hull on loan until the end of the season.

And this is too good not to share with you. Apologies if you’ve already seen it. Next we’ll check in what’s happening in France ...

More Crystal Palace news! Sheffield Wednesday have agreed a deal for Connor Wickham, with the striker set join on loan until the end of the season having rejected moves to Cardiff City and Reading.

Time for The Fiver, the best and funniest tea-time football email in the world (I am pretty sure it is also the only one). Sign up to get it in your email inbox every weekday!

“We haven’t seen him for days,” says the Parma coach, Roberto D’Aversa, when asked about Gervinho, who apparently has gone missing. La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting that the former Arsenal and Roma player has agreed a deal to join Al Sadd.

In happier times: Roberto D’Aversa and Gervinho celebrate after the game against Napoli in December 2019.
In happier times: Roberto D’Aversa and Gervinho celebrate after the game against Napoli in December 2019. Photograph: Ciro Fusco/EPA

Crystal Palace have endured a frustrating window so far, having only managed to add Cenk Tosun from Everton on loan despite Roy Hodgson’s desire for several additions to his squad. A move for Hull’s Jarrod Bowen looks to have been thwarted by West Ham – although the 23-year-old is yet to agree personal terms in east London – while there has been more bad news today with Nathan Ferguson’s move from West Brom now in doubt due to a question mark over his fitness. It remains to be seen whether Palace go ahead with the deal to sign the highly-rated teenager in the coming hours having lost out to Southampton for Kyle Walker-Peters earlier this week.

Kicker are reporting that RB Leipzig are in talks with Manchester City over a possible loan deal for Angeliño. RB Leipzig were initially hoping to sign Robin Koch from Freiburg but after that attempt failed they approached City for Angeliño, who only arrived from PSV Eindhoven last summer.

The problem with me doing the transfer blog is that I can’t update the transfer interactive. My colleague Jon Brodkin has promised to step in but he is so unbelievably incompetent when it comes to spreadsheets that I fear the worst. Let me know if something strange appears on it …

Didn’t see this one coming I must admit ...

Not transfer news but Unai Emery has been speaking to Marca about his departure from Arsenal

There were several problems: four captains, the Ozil-Kolasinac case, Pepe’s signing, who needs time since he came from France. We didn’t play well, that’s for sure. We had bad results, there was no improvement, the fans focused on me and they threw me out. With my departure, the hostile atmosphere was relaxed.

Leroy Sané is on his way … back to full fitness, but his future is unclear.

As we take a moment to reflect on what has/hasn’t happened so far today I wanted to ask a wider audience whether Alassane Pléa meant this or not. The consensus seems to be that he did but I am not 100% sure.

Here is José being both the media and the manager …

Meanwhile an hour’s drive up the A19 at Newcastle, the South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng is packing his bags after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent. Ki is a very nice passer of the ball but Steve Bruce felt he lacked the mobility required in today’s Premier League.

Ravel Morrison has, as predicted, joined Middlesbrough on loan from Sheffield United after barely getting a kick at Bramall Lane. Given Morrison’s chequered past, it represents a risk for Jonathan Woodgate’s side where team spirit is prized above all else but Woodgate is a bit of a purist and he evidently couldn’t resist the challenge of attempting to unlock this talent’s latterly latent potential. Boro have been good to watch in recent weeks; now they could be even more entertaining.

Well, what a moment for me to take over. We have a done deal! Stefan Ilsanker has joined Eintracht Frankfurt from RB Leipzig. The Austrian had been at his previous club for four-and-a-half years but was his influence has waned in recent years.

And on that non-bombshell, my stint on today’s merry go round is over, and I must stagger, dazed and confused, into the light. I’ll leave you in the steady and capable hands of Marcus Christenson. Thanks for your company and emails.

Updated

Today’s all about the deals that aren’t happening, so far. Here’s some more stasis:

It seems Manchester United may have given up in their pursuit of Joshua King ... they have told Bournemouth they are looking elsewhere, presumably after learning of the kind of sum they would have to stump up to prise the striker back to where it all started. The only bid Bournemouth have received came late last night, an offer just north of £20m.

There could be an incoming at Southampton after all ... in the Under-23s, at least. The Chelsea midfielder Jacob Maddox could join on loan. The 21-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan in League One at Tranmere. Maddox started his career at Bristol City.

James Chester is trading a club battling relegation from the Premier League for one fighting the drop from the Championship, joining Stoke from Aston Villa on loan. The 31-year-old defender wants regular football, with Wales’s Euro 2020 campaign on the horizon

Newcastle have rejected a loan bid from Blackburn for their Ghana winger Christian Atsu. Even so Steve Bruce will let Atsu leave today if the right offer comes in. Dwight Gayle might also have been expected to depart for the Championship but the striker is currently hamstrung and, in the wake of Bruce’s Olivier Giroud move failing, will be needed as back up at St James’ Park once he regains fitness.

Another match preview, for a meeting of two sides of very contrasting transfer window experiences:

Edinson Cavani is staying at PSG! Joining Willian José and Olivier Giroud among today’s big non-movers is the Uruguay forward, dashing the hopes of any number of suitors, most prominent among them Atlético Madrid who seem to have spent the whole month chasing him around the playground. But the big yellow ticker of doom/delight tells us Cavani is staying at Parc des Princes.

Updated

There’s been plenty of focus on Rangers’ new arrival today, understandably. Across to Glasgow’s east end, Celtic have dismissed reports that Victor Wanyama is coming back to Parkhead from Spurs. Neil Lennon saying he’s quite happy with his squad but may try one or two additions before midnight but nothing major is expected.

Tranmere’s Paul Mullin made the headlines with his FA Cup heroics against Watford, but now he’s moving a division lower, to join Cambridge in the middle of League Two on loan until the end of the season.

“Re Billy the Fish,” says Stephen Colton, returning to weightier topics, “this is an educated guess, can’t remember for sure, but wasn’t the mystery signing none other than Shakin’ Stevens?”

Down a rabbit hole I go, and look what I found:

It’s been a frustrating day for Crystal Palace, what with the Eagles set to miss out on Jarrod Bowen to West Ham. Now their move for Nathan Ferguson is in doubt, a “new issue” having come up in a medical, according to Sky. Though it’s not confirmed at this stage.

A couple of other deals to tell you about: Fiorentina have completed the signing of Christian Kouame from Genoa on an initial loan deal with an option to buy. And the Huddersfield defender Florent Hadergjonaj has moved to the Turkish club Kasımpasa SK on loan for the remainder of the season.

Newcastle’s mystery target, for whom a deal was reportedly agreed earlier only for the player to have second thoughts, brings to mind an old Viz Billy the Fish strip featuring a Mystery Signing who played the whole game with his head covered. Who was it? We may never know. But here’s a preview of their game with Norwich with a team line-up of non-mystery players:

We’ve not talked Everton for a while. Luckily, here’s Andy Hunter to fill us in: Carlo Ancelotti says deadline day deals “unlikely”. On Niasse: “We didn’t receive any official offers so he’s here with us. Same with Martina.” And on Richarlison: “He was here yesterday, not in Barcelona. There were rumours but we didn’t receive an official offer for him. The player is happy here and signed a new contract only one month ago. Richarlison is really important for us.”

But the boss is looking the part:

“Hi Tom,” honks Peter Oh. “Re: players with chess piece names. In a way they’re all pawns, aren’t they?”

Danny Rose has revealed that he initiated his loan move to St James’ Park and proactively made it happen. The sometime England left-back said: “I was watching Newcastle play Chelsea and I saw the [season ending] ACL injury that Jetro [Willems] had.

“Straight away I got on the phone to my agent and said ‘I want to go there’. It took probably a week to 10 days to get there but I’m happy that I’m here. It’s unfortunate that somebody’s had to get injured, but I’m grateful that here and I’m looking forward to playing games now.”

Reports from the South Coast suggest Bournemouth are working those phones and enquiries about additional striking options, encouraging Manchester United’s hopes of landing Joshua King as today’s big saga rumbles on and on with reports that a deal has been agreed provided the Cherries have a replacement sorted out. Solskjær had said earlier that he expected no activity today but deadline day Kremlinologists are giving it the old “ah yeah, but …” routine.

Rangers new famous-name signing Hagi has arrived at Ibrox and here he is with Stevie G meeting the press in Glasgow.

Hagi
Ianis Hagi with Steven Gerrard. Photograph: Andy Newport/PA

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And now for something completely different, on AFC Wimbledon’s long-term project … Not a bad deal

José Mourinho has made it clear that he does not expect to make any further signings before tonight’s deadline. Before anybody had the chance to ask him a question at his press conference this afternoon, the Tottenham manager said: “Are you expecting anyone in? No. Are you happy with your market? Yes. Did you want a striker …?” The answer to that final question was yes. Mourinho said that he could not lie – it would have been infinitely preferable to have signed a striker. But, to paraphrase him, the market has not allowed it, despite the best efforts of everybody at the club. At the moment, it seems that the only action at Spurs before 11pm could involve whether Victor Wanyama stays or goes.

Undone deal Klaxon: the former Villarreal forward Cedric Bakambu’s move to Barcelona has broken down at the last minute – while he was on his way to Catalonia.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo striker was informed his move from Chinese side Beijing Sinobo Guoan had fallen through during a layover in Hong Kong. And he tweeted thus:

Manchester United have signed a player whose surname is a chess piece, but it’s not a King, it’s a Bishop: they have completed the signing of goalkeeper Nathan Bishop from Southend United. According to the Manchester Evening News, Bishop, 20, has passed is medical and is now under a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Antonee Robinson has arrived in northern England from northern Italy for his Mee-lan medical. And as one door opens, another is creaking shut, at Chelsea

Updated

West Ham still want a right-back and are trying to sign Barcelona’s Moussa Wague. The Cameroonian is 21. He’s made three appearances this season.

Bruno Fernandes has made our predicted starting XI squadsheet for Manchester United’s set-to with Wolves, for whom new boy Daniel Podence is likely to be on the bench, while our man on the ground Jamie Jackson adds that United retain an interest in the 16-year-old Birmingham City midfielder Jude Bellingham but it is thought to be unlikely any deal will happen before the summer.

Get yer squadsheets and preview here:

Updated

More from Brighton, who certainly seem to have been working those carrier pigeons hard: Sky reports that they’ve put in an offer for the Amiens striker Serhou Guirassy. The 23-year-old former France U20 international moved to Amiens from Cologne last summer, and it is understood the Seagulls have lodged a loan-with-option-to-buy bid.

Busy week for Luke Matheson. Now for some practice on the M6 …

Manchester United’s first bid for Joshua King is understood to have been just north of the £20m mark, an offer which Bournemouth felt was way off in terms of the kind of fee the striker would command. King, who is expected to return from a hamstring injury at the end of February, has 18 months to run on his contract and Bournemouth are understandably keen to hold on to a player that can play in a variety of roles, most notably on the left wing.

Insert obligatory “no-way José” headline here: Real Sociedad have confirmed “there will be no movement out of the squad” today, and Spurs and Chelsea target Willian José will be staying put.

A Molineux outgoing: Shrewsbury have used some of their FA Cup money to bring in the goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne from Wolves on a short-term contract until the end of the season. And staying in the lower divisions, with James Wilson’s move to League Two, wonder how Aberdeen fans feel about becoming something of a nursery for Salford City (what with Adam Rooney last season), not that he’s been on target much for the Dons.

Just to confirm, there is now absolutely no chance Olivier Giroud leaves Chelsea today. Chelsea will keep him until the summer, even though he’s barely played this season. Pretty much shows they won’t be bringing in a forward before the window shuts. No Mertens or Cavani.

Giroud latest:

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Done deal! Sheffield United sign Richairo Zivkovic on loan

Busy and exciting times at Bramall Lane, as Chris Wilder lands the Dutch striker Richairo Zivkovic on a loan deal until the end of the season from the Chinese club Changchun Yatai. The Blades have an option to make the deal permanent in the summer. The 23-year-old has also played for Oostende, Ajax and Groningen.

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More from our Football League guru Ben Fisher: “Rochdale teenager Luke Matheson is completing a medical at Wolves, ahead of a £1m move to the Premier League club. He will spend the rest of the season on loan at the League One club and return to Wolves in the summer, where he is likely to be given the opportunity to impress Nuno Espírito Santo. The 17-year-old right-back, who scored against Manchester United in September, became Rochdale’s youngest ever player at 15 years and 336 days. Matheson, who has been at Dale since the age of eight, signed his first professional contract in October.” Handy cash for the League One club, and they get to keep him as they battle the drop this term.

Meanwhile, the mercurial/maddening/entertaining Aidan McGeady has joined Charlton on loan from Sunderland until the end of the season

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Thanks Gregg. And I greet you with reports that Brighton are on the verge of completing a signing of the attacking full-back Tariq Lamptey from Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Meanwhile, José Mourinho speaks to Sky from a windy and bracing looking Spurs training ground, playing down suggestions of major activity in the closing hours. “We signed enough anyway,” he says, adding of this week’s arrival Steven Bergwijn, “we’ve got a kid with amazing potential and one who the fans will learn how to love, but this is not a signing for the problems of today, but for the long-term, and for the way we want to play. He’s ready to play [against Manchester City on Sunday] but we don’t know whether to start or on the bench yet.”

Right, I’m going to grab some lunch now, so I’ll hand over to Tom Davies. He’ll guide you through the afternoon. Thanks for your emails and tweets. Bye.

Do you remember when James Wilson looked like he could be the next big thing at Manchester United? Well, he’s just left Aberdeen and signed for Salford City on an 18-month deal. And they’ve introduced him with some Balearic beats.

It’s all gone quiet out there. So I may as well fill this gap by telling you that only players signed before midday GMT can play this weekend, so any teams who do get deals over the line this afternoon or this evening will not have their new signing immediately available.

Hello from Cobham. Olivier Giroud is here training with the main group. It doesn’t seem he’ll be going anywhere. Tottenham, Lazio and Inter were all interested in the striker, who is worried about his France place ahead of euro 2020, but Chelsea won’t let him go without a replacement and they appear to have hit a dead end with Napoli’s Dries Mertens.

Will anyone beat Liverpool in the Premier League this season? The latest team to try are Southampton and their manager Ralph Hassenhutl doesn’t seem too confident about his side’s chances as they visit Anfield. He reckons the Saints have an element of the unexpected about them, though, and that is potentially one of their biggest strengths.

Normal is that everybody expects us to lose there. Several teams have tried to win there in the last year, but all the games were lost by the away teams. It would be normal that we lose, but this season is everything is not normal for us. We are in a good shape, we have a few problems with injuries, but the squad is concentrating and working. We know about the difficulty of this challenge, but we need this challenge if you want to go to the next level in your development. We played against Chelsea, Leicester, all the teams away, and did a good job - so I want to see how far we are and how good we can compete against such a top team.

Done deal! Carrasco joins Atlético Madrid on loan

The Belgian winger has returned to Atlético on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move from Dalian Yifang – and he’s already training with them.

Yannick Carrasco
Yannick Carrasco (centre) trains at the Wanda sports city after rejoining the club he left in 2018. Photograph: Rodrigo Jimenez/EPA

How about some lunchtime listening? Here’s our latest Football Weekly Extra podcast, in which Max Rushden and the pod squad talk a lot about Liverpool doing what Liverpool do and discuss all things Canada.

Nuno Espírito Santo has confirmed that Ryan Bennett is on his way to Leicester on loan. He’ll have a medical at the Foxes’ training ground this afternoon, where he has just arrived in his 4x4.

We have enough players who can play in that position appreciate and thank Ryan Bennett for what he has done. If he goes on loan it’s a situation he wants and we wish him all the best. We are working, it’s a tough window to work but it’s about rebalancing the squad.

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Here’s a cracking photo. Was he trying to convince him to sign for City?

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past four years, you may have noticed, there’s another deadline looming today. With Brexit Day upon us Scott Murray remembers Wembley’s Common Market Match in 1973, part of a festival celebrating the UK’s entry into Europe in which not all went to plan:

The biggest transfer story in Newcastle today is an, erm, non transfer. Steve Bruce has revealed his club had an offer accepted for a £35m mystery player - almost certainly Lille’s 20-year-old attacking midfielder Boubakary Soumare only for Mr X to reject the move. “We had a bid accepted that would have nearly got us to our record transfer eight days ago but, unfortunately, the player wanted to stay where he was,” said Newcastle’s manager. “We were active - we were really, really active and it didn’t quite happen. We’ll just have to wait and see what we can do in the summer. “We were close to it (the club’s record transfer) again, but couldn’t get it over the line, which is a big disappointment to us. He was our number one target.”

While it is possible that Christian Atsu and Ki Sung-yueng could leave St James’ Park this afternoon Bruce was not expecting any further additions after failing to prise Olivier Giroud on loan from Chelsea. It is understood he did not bid for Hull’s Jarrod Bowen. He is though happy to have signed three loanees in Tottenham’s Danny Rose “arguably as good a left back as any in England” - Schalke’s Nabil Bentaleb and Internazionale’s Valentino Lazaro. Meanwhile, rumours that a £340m takeover funded by Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth fund is imminent have receded and, currently at least, constitute another non story on Tyneside.

Or at least that is what Bruce has discerned from his conversations with Lee Charnley, Newcastle’s managing director.”If there was something to talk about and something to tell me, he’ll tell me,” he said. “I have a relationship with him that I think he would. At the moment all he’s said is, ‘there’s nothing in it’.”

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Barcelona have signed Francisco Trincão from Braga. The 20-year-old has had to deal with the pressure of being called the “new Cristiano Ronaldo” since bursting on to the scene in Portugal. He will head to the Camp Nou in the summer. when the pressure on him will no doubt increase.

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There’s a done deal for a Hull City forward … but it’s not Jarrod Bowen. The Poland winger Kamil Grosicki has joined West Brom from Hull for an undisclosed fee. The 31-year-old has been a lightning rod for criticism by Hull fans but he’s scored six goals and made five assists this season and that’s been sufficient to convince the promotion-chasing Baggies to make their move.

Another Championship player on the move is Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Luke Steele, who has rejoined Millwall on loan.

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Here’s our story on Cédric’s move to Arsenal. He’s got to be the most famous Cédric in England since Cedric Sneer was beamed on to British TV in the Raccoons in the 1980s.

Aston Villa’s new £10m signing Mbwana Samatta will make history by becoming the first Tanzanian to play in the Premier League if, as expected, he starts for Aston Villa at Bournemouth.

Emre Can is inching ever closer to a £25m move to Dortmund. It’s a good move for him isn’t it? He’ll earn significantly less but he needs to play. “Would he have been a good fit for United’s threadbare midfield?” emails Jason Wilshaw. I think his Liverpool connections scuppered any hope of that one, Jason.

For the avoidance of doubt there is absolutely nothing in rumours linking Gareth Bale with a MEGA SENSATIONAL return to Spurs. Sorry to disappoint, Spurs fans. And it still seems unlikely that they will be allowed to sign Olivier Giroud from Chelsea.

January 2019 transfer window’s Yannick Carrasco looks like he is on his way back to Atlético Madrid, who he left in 2018 to trouser Chinese Super League cash at Dalian Yifang. Marca and AS are reporting that Carrasco, a versatile forward who scored for Atlético in the 2016 Champions League final against Real Madrid, has been drafted in by Diego Simeone’s side after their bid to land Edinson Cavani from PSG fell through. Carrasco, 26, has not played a competitive game since CSL finished on 1 December and the outbreak of Coronavirus is causing concern for many imported players. Reports suggest Manchester United had expressed an interest but Carrasco would prefer to return to his former club.

Sky are reporting that Ryan Bennett is on his way to Leicester to complete a loan move from Wolves. The Foxes have been a little light at centre-back since Harry Maguire left for Manchester United and the 29-year-old has been out of favour at Wolves this month.

Neil has just tweeted to ask what the latest loan news out of AFC Wimbledon is. Well, I do have some transfer news from Wimbledon, Neil, and it involves my colleague Andy Brassell.

Done deal! Arsenal sign Soares from Southampton

Cedric Soares, whose Saints contract ends this summer, has joined Arsenal. He’ll offer competition at right-back for Hector Bellerin, whose injury record means it’s wise to have experienced cover. Kyle Walker-Peters’ move to the Saints on loan from Spurs, made the loan move possible. So, thank your Tottenham friends for that one, Gooners.

Cedric Soares poses for the cameras at Arsenal’s training ground.
Cedric Soares poses for the cameras at Arsenal’s training ground. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

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Consider Benjamin Yeo underwhelmed: “I think Josh King would be a vanilla signing. Few would be thrilled but he fits into Ole’s fast counter so he makes sense. He would sort of fill a Rashford sized hole but what does he have other than pace and a United past? I’d like to see Jovic but won’t hold my breath.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been speaking to Sky Sports News about Manchester United’s new £46.5m midfield tempo man Bruno Fernandes. He’s beaming:

He’s a guy who we have followed for a long time now and finally we struck a deal with Sporting. They were reluctant to let their best player go but now he’s in through the door. We’ve got him, he’s happy. We’re happy. Sporting are happy. It was an emotional farewell but we’ve had a good few players from Sporting before. We have got first of all a fantastic human being and a genuine lad. He works hard, he’s professional and hates losing. As a player he can do more or less everything. He’s a box-to-box player with loads of energy. He scores goals, gets assists and you just look at his demeanour, his confidence, some of his skills will help us as a team. We can’t put too much pressure on Bruno. He’s coming into a new league, new country, new teammates. I’m 100% sure we’ll see loads of good football from him.

Joshua King is the huge elephant in the room as Solskjær says he’s reluctant to talk about any more potential signings:

There’s so much speculation. I try to be polite and respectful. I’m very happy with the club and how we’ve conducted things. We stick to our beliefs and values.

There’s been a hold-up in Nathan Ferguson’s £4m move from West Brom to Crystal Palace. The highly rated right-back is out of contract at the end of the season and has told West Brom he will not sign a new deal but it remains to be seen if he joins Palace today.

Right, time to catch up on the latest ins and outs across Europe with our transfer interactive. Sam Mcallum has signed for Norwich from Coventry for £3.5m. The good news for Coventry fans is that he has been loaned straight back so you still have him at left-back. And in Italy, Fiorentina have signed Alfred Duncan from Sassuolo. The 26-year-old Ghana midfielder has joined on loan but he will join permanently in the summer for €15m.

“Arsenal enquired about signing Olympiakos and Norway captain Omar Elabdellaoui but were put off by the price quoted,” writes my colleague, Will Unwin. “So the Gunners went for the cheaper right-back option of Cedric Soares. Olympiakos were not keen to sell to the team they are playing in the Europa League, either.”

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Steve Bruce has been talking ahead of Newcastle’s match against Norwich. He confirmed that they have missed out on Olivier Giroud and one other unnamed player and it sounds like there will be no more business for Newcastle after Danny Rose’s loan signing from Spurs.

We had a bid eight days ago accepted by a club [for a midfielder] that would have been a near-club record but the player wanted to stay where he was. So, we’ll have to wait until the summer.

On Danny Rose, he said northern chip shops were a deciding factor in him leaving Tottenham, where perhaps the mushy peas were of inferior quality.

Moving up north suited him, which makes a rare change. He’s a northern lad, he’s from Leeds, little things like [the chippies up north] make a big difference to him.

Manchester United fans, what are your views on Josh King’s potential move to Old Trafford? He has three goals in 18 Premier League games this season. He’s also 28 so his sell-on value will decrease dramatically in the next couple of seasons. He is versatile, though, and Solskjær knows him well and could potentially get the best out of him.

Frank Lampard is desperate for a forward but Olivier Giroud is desperate to leave Chelsea. The word now is that Chelsea are willing to let Giroud go to Spurs if they can bring in Dries Mertens from Napoli. Lots of ifs - Napoli aren’t keen on selling Mertens.

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Cedric Soares has passed medical at Arsenal and his loan move until the end of the season will be confirmed imminently. The Portuguese full-back is out of contract in the summer, but Arsenal have paid a loan fee. Southampton are not expecting to bring anyone in today, while youngsters Callum Slattery and Kayne Ramsay are heading on loan to De Graafschap and Shrewsbury respectively. Leicester hold an interest in Jannik Vestergaard but Saints value the defender at around £18m. Leicester’s pursuit of defensive cover is set to have an impact on Filip Benkovic, who is wanted on loan until the end of the season by Championship clubs Bristol City and Derby.

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A bit of news from Sheffield United, who broke their transfer record for midfielder Sander Berge last night. They are willing to let Ravel Morrison leave, with Middlesbrough favourites to sign him on a short-term deal. Morrison joined the blades in the summer having tried to get his career back on track at Ostersund. He has played in the Championship before, with QPR, Cardiff and Birmingham. He’s 26 and has only just played over 100 professional games – he really needs some gametime.

Ravel Morrison
Ravel Morrision looks to be Middlesbrough-bound. Photograph: James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images

Edinson Cavani will stay at PSG for the remainder of the season after Atlético Madrid failed to reach a deal with the French club for a transfer in this window. The Uruguayan had been desperate to join up with Diego Simeone’s team but will now join the La Liga side on a free in the summer instead.

This is from our man in Manchester, Jamie Jackson, on Josh King. Bournemouth: “Joshua King remains on Manchester United’s radar. Unless Bournemouth can bring in another forward they may be reluctant to sell King given he is one of only three senior strikers there, along with Callum Wilson and Dominic Solanke. As always on transfer deadline day there could be developments.”

However, Eddie Howe sounded resigned to losing King in his press conference to preview their match with Aston Villa this weekend. Here’s what he had to say:

I’m not going to deny anything you’ve read [about Bournemouth rejecting a bid for King]. Who knows what’s going to happen? Josh is much valued and loved by us and another club has obviously seen how good he is. Speaking as the manager, with a day to go, I would be very reluctant to lose a player of that quality [but] a lot of these things are out of my control. I love him as a player and person. I know what Manchester United means to him with his history with the club. He’s a massive part of out team. He brings that unique pace and strength that he has. He can play an number of positions for us too.

It sounds like it’s just a matter of Manchester United increasing their bid for him.

“Morning Gregg,” writes Matthew Turland. “Nottingham Forest are sitting relatively pretty in third at the moment. Obviously they’ll have a complete meltdown in the coming weeks but what are the chances of Freeman/Atsu/Gayle/A.N.Other turning up at the City Ground to wear the Garibaldi red? Nuno Costa, Bong and Diakhaby (loan) have already arrived but I still reckon we need another striker to take the load off of Grabban. And I need something to take my mind off the impending collapse.” Atsu looks the more likely of those I’d say Matthew.

And here’s Darrien Bold bringing the deadline day honks: “I might be late to the party on this one but I’ve just spotted tenacious midfielder Vinny Samways tucking into a sandwich in a trendy Liverpool cafe as rumours of him bolstering Everton’s flimsy midfield for a cool £2m do the rounds. Keep up the good work!” Erm, I’ll keep an eye on that one Darrien.

As Hull prepare to say farewell to Jarrod Bowen, they are primed to welcome Marcus Maddison from Peterborough United as his replacement. The former Gateshead winger, who has a £2.5m buyout clause, is out of contract at the end of the season. Posh had accepted a bid this month from Charlton but the player failed to agree personal terms with Lee Bowyer’s side.

Milan fans are probably furiously Googling Wigan this morning to find out just where the hell it is. The reason being that the Latics full-back Antonee Robinson is reportedly on his way to Italy’s fashion capital from the northern Mill town to complete a medical before making a £10m move. Robinson joined Everton as an 11-year-old academy player and left for Wigan last summer. He’s a USA inernational. It would certainly be one of the more intriguing deals this January.

Bournemouth have turned down an approach from Manchester United for striker Joshua King, who previously worked with Ole Gunnar Solskjær with United’s reserves. Bournemouth paid Blackburn £1m for the forward in 2015. Here’s an interview with him from earlier this season:

Couple of things happening in London early on. Firstly it looks like West Ham have agreed a fee - around £22m - with Hull for Jarrod Bowen. The forward is set to have a medical today before a move to the Premier League. Secondly Chelsea are poised to lose Tariq Lamptey to Brighton. The right-back is out of contract at the end of the season and has rejected Chelsea’s latest offer. Brighton still need to agree a fee with Chelsea, though.

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Preamble

Good morning! It’s here folks. Yes, it’s that day they’ve all been talking about. The deadline is finally upon us. At 11pm GMT the shutters will come down on … the January transfer window! Yes, transfer comings and goings in England, Spain and France will have to be completed by 11pm, in Germany by 5pm, in Italy by 7pm and in Scotland by midnight GMT. Curiously, in Portugal the deadline is 2 February and in Russia it’s 22 February.

We will be bringing you transfer news as we get it throughout the day and keep you updated on any team news before the weekend’s matches as managers speak at their usual pre-match press conferences. The window’s biggest headline-grabbing signing so far came at Manchester United on Thursday, where Bruno Fernandes finally checked in for £46m. Andy Brassell has the lowdown on what United fans can expect from the midfield metronome. Sheffield United have just broken their transfer record with the signing of Sander Berge from Genk for a fee in excess of £20m. The 21-year-old Norway midfielder has joined on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

There are plenty of clubs who are still in the hunt for players as the deadline nears. Here are a few things to look out for:

  • Chelsea will scramble for a forward – and Mertens and Cavani are targets
  • Salomón Rondón is a potential target for Manchester United
  • Tottenham are leading race to sign Willian José from Sociedad
  • Antonee Robinson may join Milan from Wigan Athletic
  • Olivier Giroud could join Lazio after turning down Newcastle
  • Newcastle are chasing Davie Selke from Schalke instead
  • West Ham look to have pipped Crystal Palace to Hull’s Jarrod Bowen
  • Dortmund are the favourites to sign Juve’s Emre Can for £25m
  • Spurs’ Victor Wanyama is inching towards a move back to Celtic

Here are the latest comings and goings in Europe:

And for all of the latest ins and outs across the top five leagues in Europe, bookmark our snazzy transfer interactive. Clubs have spent £727.6m on players so far this January. Will there be more cash thrown around in a dramatic finale this evening?

And if you just want to look forward to what is going on in the Premier League this weekend, have a look at this:

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