The new year is nearly upon us and with that comes the re-opening of the transfer window as clubs assess their options for reinforcement in January.
Spending sprees from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal contributed to a record summer of Premier League expenditure last summer, with clubs from England’s top flight collectively splashing more than £3bn on new players.
And while the acquisition of elite players or long-term targets is less common in the mid-season window, it is not completely out of the question, with the saga surrounding Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo expected to reach its climax in the coming weeks or possibly days. The 25-year-old has been linked with moves to every Premier League big hitter but it appears Manchester City are now leading the race for the player, whose £65m release clause becomes active in January.
Elsewhere, Tottenham’s Europa League winner Brennan Johnson is verging on a £35m move to Crystal Palace, while Eagles skipper Marc Guehi remains a person of interest after his deadline day move to Liverpool collapsed. The England international is about to enter the final six months of his contract at Selhurst Park, giving Palace one last chance to cash in if they choose to.
Follow all the latest transfer news, gossip, rumours and done deals in The Independent’s live blog below
Transfer news live
- January transfer window opens tomorrow
- Manchester City lead race for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo
- Mohamed Salah set to stay at Liverpool as Saudi interest cools
- Liverpool unlikely to revive pursuit of Marc Guehi
- Crystal Palace agree fee for Tottenham's Brennan Johnson
- Manchester United monitoring RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande
- Enzo Maresca's job at Chelsea under threat
- Mikel Arteta urges Arsenal to be 'active' in the transfer market
Enzo Maresca's job under threat
15:43 , Will CastleEnzo Maresca will need a sharp turnaround of results to keep his job at Chelsea, according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol.
Maresca, who guided Chelsea to the Club World Cup and Conference League last season, has experienced a sharp drop-off in results over the past month, overseeing just one win their last seven league outings to fall out of the Premier League top four.
This has coincided with troubled waters behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge, with Maresca causing a stir when, following a routine win over Everton on 13 December, he used his post-match press conference to claim he had endured “the worst 48 hours since I joined the club” in the build-up to the game.
After surrendering another lead in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, it’s now believed January will be a defining month for Maresca which includes nine games across four competitions.
Is Christopher Nkunku on the move again?
15:40 , Will CastleFenerbahce are interested in signing AC Milan forward Christopher Nkunku just months after he joined them from Chelsea, according to Sky Sports.
Nkunku signed for Milan in August for just over £36m following a difficult spell at the Blues that was plagued by injuries.
He has scored just twice in the Serie A but is focused on AC Milan and would prefer to stay and convince the club he is worth keeping.
Aston Villa set to sign Alysson
15:29 , Will CastleAston Villa are on the verge of signing Brazilian starlet Alysson from Gremio, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 19-year-old winger will arrive on a deal worth around £10m.
🟣🔵🇧🇷 Aston Villa and Gremio signed all documents for Alysson deal, here we go now confirmed.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 31, 2025
€10m initial fee plus €2m add-ons for 19 year old Brazilian winger to #AVFC. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/etwEXEgODB
Thomas Frank tight-lipped over Brennan Johnson saga
15:20 , Will CastleTottenham boss Thomas Frank refused to open up on the future of Brennan Johnson amid reports of a £35m fee being agreed with Crystal Palace.
"There are rumours out there. In general, I won't comment on that, no matter if we want to sign or sell a player or get a staff member in or out. I have no interest in commenting either way," Frank said.
"He contributed to a very good and important win against Crystal Palace. He trained very well. I fully expect him to be available and able to play against Brentford."
Frank also insisted “rumours are rumours” with defender Radu Dragusin, who has been linked with a move away to Nottingham Forest.
Napoli set to sign Rasmus Hojlund permanently
15:00 , Will CastleNapoli intend to trigger the obligation to buy clause for Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund next summer, according to their club director Giovanni Manna.
Manna said: “Hojlund? The obligation to buy is just a formality. We trust him and he trust our project. He’s very important. Even Hojlund considers himself as Napoli player.”
They will play £38.4m up front, with £5.2m in potential add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Dane has scored seven goals and notched three assists in 19 games at Napoli this season.
Strasbourg showing interest in James McAtee
14:40 , Will CastleJames McAtee has been considered as a potential midfield option for Strasbourg, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The French club, owned by Chelsea owners BlueCo, could move for the Englishman who has made just six Premier League starts since his £22m move to Nottingham Forest.
Initial talks have taken place where Strasbourg presented their project.
This could be a potential blow for Leeds who have also been linked with the player.
West Ham preparing bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen
14:20 , Will CastleWest Ham are preparing an opening bid to sign Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, according to The Guardian.
It is believed that Wolves want as much as £40m for the Norwegian, who has scored only three goals for the Premier League’s bottom club this season.
It remains to be seen whether the Hammers will match that asking price but Nuno Espirito Santo’s relegation-threatened side will likely be in need of attacking reinforcements this winter, with Niclas Fullkrug set to move to AC Milan on loan.
Wolves, meanwhile, could move for Sam Surridge, who has thrived in the MLS for the past two years. The former Forest striker is among several striker options, according to Sky Sports.
Ruben Amorim lays down Man United transfer stance for January
14:00 , Will CastleRuben Amorim says he will not demand new signings at Manchester United in January after conversations with the club.
"We have conversations all the time, it's not because we are in January," Amorim told Sky Sports.
"The window is open and we need to understand what we can do. Not just from the place of what we can bring, but what is going to happen to our squad.
"I'm just thinking about recovering all of my players, so I'm not going to knock on the door of Jason [Wilcox] and Omar [Berrada] to ask more players.
"They know what we need, but I also understand that we have a process. We want to do things with certainty that we are not going to make the same mistakes in the past.
"If we need to suffer in some moments, we are going to suffer, to try to be two steps ahead, maybe in the summer. It's a really tough market in January, so we'll see."
Manchester United monitoring Leipzig winger Yan Diomande
13:40 , Will CastleManchester United are among the club monitoring RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, according to Sky Sports.
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-German are also thought to be tracking his development closely, with the player’s value understood to be in the region of £52m-£61m.
After appearing to miss out on Antoine Semenyo, United could accelerate their interest in the Ivorian.
Inside the January transfer window where wealth fuels ambition – and relegation threat drives desperation
13:34 , Miguel DelaneyOver the last few weeks, at least five of Europe’s wealthiest clubs have been testing the waters on Bournemouth’s Semenyo. His £65m release clause comes into effect on January 1, and it could well set the market in motion.
Semenyo already looks set to be the major story of this window, but he is unlikely to be the only one. Many industry figures expect January to be busy.
While the summer window always ends up frenetic – clubs know what they need and can act without disrupting the season – January is far less predictable. One year it’s chaotic, the next unusually quiet.
Read more of the members-only Friday edition of the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter:
Joao Cancelo set to leave Al-Hilal with former clubs monitoring
13:20 , Will CastleFormer Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo is set to leave Al Hilal in the January window, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Inter have approached Al-Hilal to ask for loan deal conditions and explore the potential structure of the deal, while Barcelona and Juventus have also been in contact.
Cancelo has previously played for all three clubs.
Liverpool’s £450m spending spree, examined: This has been an unhappy, underwhelming experiment
13:37 , Will CastleThe club who began 2025 with an eight-point advantage at the Premier League summit could end it with a greater deficit to the leaders. A year of triumph and tragedy for Liverpool has also featured unprecedented spending. Glance at the league table and their transfer business and it suggests they have spent £450m to get worse. They will enter 2026 exactly half-way through their Premier League campaign. If the half-term report for the team reads ‘could do better’, that applies to most of their signings.
Giovanni Leoni, of course, cannot do better in the second half of the season, as he is ruled out for the remainder of it. The Italian is blameless for that and, to varying degrees, others can plead mitigating circumstances for their slight returns. But so far Jeremie Frimpong has only made two league starts. Alexander Isak only has two Premier League goals (and none in the Champions League). Florian Wirtz only has one league goal and assist. In each case, the same statistics in the next five months would render their debut campaign at Anfield a failure.
Richard Jolly assesses Liverpool’s summer spending, five months on:
Liverpool’s £450m spending spree, examined: This has been an underwhelming experiment
Arsenal transfer news round-up: Kenan Yildiz, Davide Bartesaghi and more as Mikel Arteta braces for busy January
13:00 , Will CastleMounting injuries may force Arsenal to dip into the January transfer market as they look to keep up the pace in their Premier League title charge.
The Gunners go into the new year at the top of the pile but will know all too well that such a position does not guarantee success come May, with Pep Guardiola’s revitalised Manchester City breathing down their necks.
After a busy summer that saw the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze arrive for big fees, Mikel Arteta will be confident his Arsenal squad is capable of winning a first league title since the ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04.
But with injuries not letting up, with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori the latest to be sidelined, new recruits could come to boost the league leaders ahead of a crucial second half of the season.
When asked if Arteta has space in his squad for new signings, he said: "Depending, as I said, on the availability of certain players. The window is there. We're Arsenal. Now, we have to be looking at it.”
Here are the latest stories surrounding the transfer market at the Emirates:
Borussia Dortmund open to loan move for Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb
12:40 , Richard JollyBorussia Dortmund are interested in taking Oscar Bobb on loan from Manchester City.
Talks have not yet been held between the clubs but the Norway international could be allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium as City look to bring in another winger, in Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.
Bobb has made 15 appearances for City this season but, after starting the first three league games, he has only begun two more and none since October as Pep Guardiola has preferred players such as Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki.
Borussia Dortmund open to loan move for Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb
Why ‘Big Gabi’ is so important to Arsenal’s chances of ending 22-year title drought
12:20 , Will CastleThis victory may well be one they look back on in May. Faced with the Premier League’s in-form team, a side bouncing into north London after eight hair-raising wins on the spin, Arsenal blew away the merry men of Aston Villa in a sensational 30-minute, four-goal blitz at the Emirates. To close out 2025, jubilant on the touchline, it was Mikel Arteta’s biggest statement yet.
What sort of message has it sent to Manchester City? An emphatic one. In recent weeks, it has been nervy late-game viewing for Arsenal supporters, so desperate for this season to be, beyond any other competitions, their season in the Premier League. This was a proper test of their title credentials under the lights: a team with 11 consecutive victories in all competitions. The league’s in-form player in Morgan Rogers. An ex-manager in Unai Emery smelling a 24-day double. But they answered it and, whisper it quietly, in the manner of champions.
And when will Arsenal’s – let’s call it for what it is – unbelievable set-piece machine run out of gas? Certainly not yet. Take the mickey out of the hand-waving antics of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover as much as you like, but the end results are staggering. From corners alone, that’s 17 goals in the calendar year. It was the returning Gabriel (how they’ve missed him) whose sheer presence in the penalty area saw ex-Gunner Emiliano Martinez fluff his catch in the air, two minutes after the interval. And from that point on, it was one-way traffic.
Kieran Jackson reports from the Emirates:
Why ‘Big Gabi’ is so important to Arsenal’s chances of ending 22-year title drought
Mohamed Salah set to stay at Liverpool
12:04 , Will CastleLiverpool are braced for Mohamed Salah to stay put after Saudi Pro League clubs’ interest in the player cooled, according to The i Paper.
Salah’s startling tirade against the club’s hierarchy after Liverpool’s draw with Leeds earlier this month appeared to indicate the Egyptian was on his way out, with a highly-speculated move to Saudi Arabia seemingly on the horizion.
However, Salah has since reconciled with Liverpool with the support of his teammates, returning to the squad a week later and receiving a warm reception at Anfield.
Saudi clubs have noted this and are therefore less optimistic about a deal getting over the line.
'World's oldest professional footballer' joins new club
12:00 , Will CastleKazuyoshi Miura, the oldest professional footballer in the world at 58, has prolonged his career further by joining Japanese third tier side Fukushima United.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, now prepares for his 41st season as a professional footballer.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," said Miura, who turns 59 in February.
"I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let's make history together!"
Liverpool transfer news round-up: Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi and more after Alexander Isak injury blow
11:40 , Will CastleLiverpool could become major players in the January transfer market after Alexander Isak’s serious injury ruled him out for several months.
Arne Slot can at least lean on Hugo Ekitike, with the French forward settling quickly to life in the Premier League.
“It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months,” Slot said of Isak, who joined the Reds from Newcastle for £125m in the summer and has scored just three goals in 16 appearances in all competitions. “It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.”
But reinforcements could come to boost the Reds after a testing first half of the season.
Here are the latest stories surrounding the transfer market at Anfield:
Liverpool transfer news round-up: Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi and more
Burnley may need Josh Cullen replacement after season-ending injury
11:20 , Will CastleScott Parker has admitted Burnley could be forced to act in the January transfer window after club captain Josh Cullen was ruled out for around nine months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Cullen was hurt in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Everton and will undergo surgery, ruling the 29-year-old out for the rest of the season and the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifying play-off against the Czech Republic in March.
"It's something we certainly need to look at," Parker said after Tuesday's 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle. "Josh is a huge loss for us. On the pitch he's probably been one of our best performers, so to lose him on the pitch as well as off us and what he gives us is a big loss.
"I thought the boys that came in - (Florentino) Luis and Lesley Ugochukwu were very good but we'll look at it now over the coming weeks with the window opening and see where we may need to strengthen."
Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal transfer stance for January window amid injury woes
11:00 , Will CastleArsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club are prepared to ease their injury problems by “actively looking” at signing new players when the transfer window reopens next month.
“The window is there and I mean we are Arsenal and we have to be looking at it – ‘Okay, what do we need?’ And we have to be actively looking and then, whether we can do it or not, that’s a different story,” he said.
“But our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen, so hopefully it’ll be very positive.
“When you look across the other clubs, they have 24 or 25 squad players. Although we have had more injuries than expected, some of them not avoidable, we want to be better and we know how important the part of having the right availability with players is going to be this season.”
Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal transfer stance for January window amid injury woes
Liverpool unlikely to go back in for Marc Guehi this month
10:40 , Will CastleFabrizio Romano says that Liverpool are “open” to strengthening the squad next month, though that is unlikely to involve Marc Guehi, having had a bid accepted before the move collapsed late in the window last summer.
The Crystal Palace star is likely to wait until next summer for a move on a free transfer, though Liverpool will still be in the race with Bayern Munich are also strongly linked.
Daniel Farke says Leeds plan for no out-goings
10:20 , Will CastleDaniel Farke says no first-team players will leave Leeds during the January transfer window and that they could "perhaps improve our group a bit more".
He said: "It's more a topic we can speak about at the first FA Cup weekend, when we can speak a bit more about this. Until then we're just concentrating on my group, they need all my attention right now, we have tough fixtures and quick turnarounds.
"I speak to my players every day, we are in close conversations, but I have no plans to give any player away from our group because it's a tight group.
"I don't believe with working with a big group because it's important for togetherness, unity and spirit. We can perhaps improve our group a bit more, but no-one close to the first-team group is to leave."
Sky Sports reports that a centre-back could be targeted.
Brennan Johnson to decide future after Crystal Palace agree fee
10:00 , Will CastleCrystal Palace have agreed a £35m deal to sign Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson, according to various reputable sources.
The Eagles had advanced in their efforts to land to Wales international in mid-December but opted not to make an offer until after the two sides faced each other on Sunday.
There is now an agreement for Johnson to move across London - however, BBC Sport says the player has not yet signed off on the move.
Johnson will now need to decide whether he wants to join Palace, with Bournemouth also circling amid a heightened expectation they will lose Antoine Semenyo this summer.
Iraola insists Semenyo 'will still be with us' in early January
09:40 , Flo CliffordAntoine Semenyo is reportedly keen to have his future sorted by 1 January, but Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola was emphatic the forward would still be with the club for their game against Arsenal on Saturday 3 January.
The 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday was “definitely not” his last game for the Cherries, Iraola said on BBC Match of the Day.
“He is a massive player for us and he will still be with us” for the Arsenal game.
“It is not the last game he has played for us, definitely not.”
Manchester City move ahead of Liverpool in race to sign Antoine Semenyo
09:18 , Richard JollyManchester City have opened talks with Bournemouth about Antoine Semenyo in a bid to sign the winger when the transfer window opens.
Semenyo has a £65m release clause in his contract with the Cherries but there are still issues to discuss as Pep Guardiola tries to make him his first buy of 2026.
Liverpool are also interested in the Ghana international and face a decision whether to trigger the release clause themselves and match City’s interest.
When does the January transfer window open?
09:04 , Will CastleThe new year is nearly upon us and with that comes the re-opening of the transfer window as clubs assess their options for reinforcement in January.
The January window will open tomorrow on Thursday 1 January 2026, and will remain open for nearly five weeks.
It closes on Monday, February 2, at an earlier hour of 7pm GMT.
It falls in line with changes to the summer window, which also previously closed at 11pm.
Good morning
08:59 , Will CastleHello and welcome to The Independent’s transfer news live blog!
It’s that time of the year again. Keep up to date with all the latest news and gossip every day across the January window, right here!
