Done deal! Denis Suárez to join Arsenal on loan!
I’ve not gone just yet. Barcelona have released this statement.
FC Barcelona and Denis Suárez have reached an agreement for the extension of the player’s contract with the club, which ended on 30 June 2020, until 30 June 2021,” the Spanish club said in a short statement on Wednesday afternoon. FC Barcelona have also agreed a loan deal for Suárez with Arsenal for the remainder of the 2018/19 season. The Premier League club will pay the player’s salary during this time and the agreement includes an option to buy.”
And that really is it from me. Bye.
Updated
Right. That’s all from me on Transfer Deadline Day Eve. This blog will be back up and running again tomorrow when clubs will have to get a move on and do some actual deals before the window SLAMS SHUT! at 11pm. I’ll leave you with The Fiver … and be sure to log back on to the Guardian football site at 6.30pm to follow live buildup to Liverpool v Leicester and then minute-by-minute updates from that match. We’ll also have a clockwatch taking in goal updates from the rest of the night’s games, including Spurs v Watford.
Hibernian have confirmed the permanent exit of manager Neil Lennon and assistant Garry Parker by “mutual consent”.
The two were suspended on Friday and missed Sunday’s Ladbrokes Premiership win over St Mirren in Paisley, and it has been confirmed that they have left the club.
A statement on the club’s website said: The management team of Neil Lennon and Garry Parker has left the club by mutual consent. “They have not been dismissed and have not resigned.”
Lennon and Parker were in charge as Hibs secured promotion back to the top flight of Scottish football and oversaw a successful first season, where they reached the top four and qualified for Europe.
Chairman Rod Petrie said: “We are grateful to Neil and Garry for all their efforts and in particular for leading the club back to the top flight of Scottish football.
“We wish nothing but the best for Neil and Garry and their families for the future.”
Lennon added: “I would like to thank the board, the coaching staff, the players and all the fans for making the last two-and-a-half years so enjoyable. It has been my privilege to serve the club and I wish it every success in the future.”
L’Equipe are reporting that Tottenham’s French winger Georges-Kévin N’Koudou is returning to Ligue 1 and will be joining Monaco (who else?) on loan. Surely the scale of change in the Monaco squad will only harm their performances won’t it? The Stade Louis II Stadium must be busier than Shinjuku Station. You can get the details on this story with our friends at Get FrenchFootball News.
The correct term for Milan scuppering Arsenal’s move for Carrasco would be an “imboscata”, writes Jonny Mills. It means ambush. I like the sound of that. I can imagine Unai Emery slapping his face with his palm and whispering it under his breath.
Here’s a nice story you may not be aware of. When former Dortmund winger Jakub Błaszczykowski was released by Wolfsburg he went back to Wisla Krakow, the club where he excelled before earning a move to Bundesliga. Nothing odd about that you might think. But, the 33-year-old agreed to play without pay and contributed £300,000 of his own cash to pay wages at the cash-strapped club to help keep it afloat. What a good egg.
Updated
“What’s the Italian term for Milan’s alleged scuppering of the Carrasco move? Gazumpa?” wonders Peter Oh. Hijacko?
Dortmund only do hipster signings these days, don’t they? And according to France Football, they may be on the verge of another, with Ajax’s 25-year-old Moroccan playmaker Hakim Ziyech popping up on their radar. Roma tried (and failed) to sign Ziyech last season but a bid of around £30m could persuade the Dutch side to let him go.
Could Milan scupper Gunners' move for Carrasco?
We might not see Yannick on the streets of London. Our man in Italy reports that Milan have come steaming into the picture, which must be an annoyance for Arsenal.
The Sheffield Star is reporting that it expects Scott Hogan to join Sheffield United on loan from Aston Villa before tomorrow’s transfer deadline. There was reported interest in Hogan from Bristol City but the Blades were the striker’s preferred club. This move would allow Wigan to take 33-year-old striker Leon Clarke on loan from Sheffield United.
The latest young British talent to move to the Bundesliga, Rabbi Matondo, has been talking about his £7.9m move to Schalke.
Before coming here I already knew a bit about Schalke 04: Mesut Özil, Ivan Rakitic and Leroy Sané all took big steps in their careers here,” said the 18-year-old. “As well as that, I had some good chats with the coach and my new teammates only had good things to say. The Bundesliga is a great league too. Schalke 04 is the right decision for my career and I’m happy to now be a part of this club and their future plans.”
Some good news for West Ham fans. Our reporter Jacob Steinberg says: “It sounds like Marko Arnautovic has suffered only bruising after landing awkwardly on his right foot. There’s a small chance he may be fit in time to face Liverpool at the London Stadium on Monday night.”
Leicester’s Andy King is most likely to end up at Derby as things stand. Swansea are interested but they will only move for King if Leroy Fer departs. Derby are trying to trim their squad to make room/free up money for signings. King is one that Frank Lampard is keen to get done.
Notts County have been in these pages quite a bit lately. See here, and here. And they’ve made a hat-trick of appearances now thanks to the loan signing of wily old striker Craig Mackail-Smith from Wycombe Wanderers. Can the 34-year-old former Scotland international help Notts County to avoid relegation from League Two and preserve their proud status as the oldest Football League club in the professional pyramid? They’re eight points from safety. He’ll have to wind the clock back and go berserk in front of goal.
“Re Crouchinho: it’s not as old as 38 dog-years but 38 footballer-years is quite advanced. Power to Peter Crouch for still being linked to a Premier League return, although I wonder if a little creakiness has crept into his robot dance celebration?” writes Peter Oh.
Perhaps Peter, but what a fine striker he was at his peak. He was in his late 20s when he scored this perfect hat-trick for Liverpool. I was at Anfield and remember it well. I love the third goal. Such good feet.
Wishing a very happy birthday to @petercrouch! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/p9V29LVbEx
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 30, 2019
Adrien Silva is putting the finishing touches to a loan move from Leicester to Monaco – I’ve heard it’s all done, actually – and Youri Tielemans is also very close to a move in the opposite direction, also on loan. There is no end-of-season option on Silva’s deal. It’s just a straight loan, then he’ll return to Leicester and reassess things. The Portugal midfielder cost £22m when he joined Leicester from Sporting. It has been a move that simply has not worked out.
Miguel Almirón’s imminent arrival at Newcastle may clear the path for Jacob Murphy to join West Brom on loan. It’s not really worked out for Murphy since his £12m move from Norwich in 2017 and the Baggies are looking to beef up their attacking options after in-form Harvey Barnes was recalled to Leicester.
Done deal! Matondo joins Schalke from Manchester City!
Schalke have been busy about their business today. They have confirmed the transfer of Rabbi Matondo for a fee of £7.9m and have made a bid for West Ham’s Lucas Pérez, according to the BBC.
#S04 @rabbi_matondo #S04
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) January 30, 2019
🔵⚪ #WelcomeRabbi 🔵⚪#S04 @rabbi_matondo #S04 pic.twitter.com/3Dnt9k3JCY
Miguel Almirón has finally arrived on Tyneside from Atlanta after being helicoptered in, ala Kevin Keegan, for his medical. If and when he signs on the dotted line for around £20m he will become Newcastle’s record signing, eclipsing the £16.8m deal done for Michael Owen in 1897 2005.
Miguel Almiron arriving in Newcastle. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/b9v21YFXds
— Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) January 30, 2019
Updated
Here is the story on the seat cushions that have been found on a French beach that air accident investigators believe may be from the plane carrying Emiliano Sala that went missing.
Could Vincent Janssen’s miserable spell at Spurs be set to end? Sky are reporting that Real Betis are in talks with Tottenham over a loan deal with what the London club hope will be an obligation to make the transfer permanent in the summer. Daniel Levy’s tough stance on the striker’s valuation has been a cause of dismay for the player’s agent. This week Patrick van Diemen said: “Clubs do come forward, but it doesn’t actually become concrete. The most important thing now is that Janssen will play again.” Janssen cost Spurs £17m from AZ Alkmaar in 2016 and is valued at around £12m to £15m by Spurs.
Updated
“Is it written in the stars that Man City are knocked out by a Matondo away goal?” Andrew Mahakata reminds us that Schalke’s new signing is eligible to play against the club that have just signed him in the Champions League last 16.
Thanks Tom. Yannick Carrasco’s agent, Christophe Henrotay, has been speaking to RadioRossonera about his client’s future at Dalian Yifang. It sounds like he’d like Arsenal or Inter to show a little more urgency if Carrasco is going to leave China. “Everything is possible,” he said, “but it seems difficult because interested clubs don’t have a lot of time left to discuss a deal with Carrasco’s current club.” The clock is very much ticking.
And with that, Gregg Bakowski is back for the afternoon - email him on gregg.bakowski@theguardian.com.
Schalke have included a €50m buy-out clause in Rabbi Matondo’s contract, according to Kicker. The German magazine says that the Welsh teenager has completed his medical at the Bundesliga club and that he has signed a contract until 2023. Kicker says Schalke are paying City €9m for the player, who is likely to be thrust into first-team action immediately.
Away from transfer news for a moment - and a breaking news story: Two seat cushions have been found which are likely to have come from the plane carrying missing Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have said. An underwater seabed investigation is planned for this weekend.
Updated
Nuremberg have dipped their toe in the transfer market for the first time this January, while Sandro Wagner (remember him?) has done one from Bayern Munich. Who, what, to where, when? It’s all here in our all-singing, all-dancing interactive transfer guide.
Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony’s ill-fated second spell at the club is drawing to a close with reports the striker is on his way to Qatari club Al-Arabi on loan. He is set to join them until the end of the season with Swansea pleased to get their highest earner off their hands. Bony originally joined the club from Vitesse Arnhem in July 2013 for £12m before leaving for a disappointing spell at Manchester City for £28m. He returned to Wales for £12m in 2017 but injury and poor form has hampered his prospects there.
Denis Suárez is in London where, if he successfully coughs for the doctor in his Arsenal medical, he should complete a loan move that will cost the Gunners around £2m with an option to sign him permanently for just under £22m in the summer. I’m going to grab some lunch, so I will leave you in the very capable hands of Tom Bryant.
Updated
Is Peter Crouch set for a return to the Premier League on his 38th birthday? Various sources are reporting that Stoke are willing to offer cash and Crouch for Sam Vokes, the 29-year-old striker but are unwilling to meet the outright £9m that Burnley want. Crouch could pretty much be a specialist sub when a team wants to throw the kitchen sink at the opposition in the last few minutes of any match. He could go on for a while yet. And wasn’t he bizarrely linked with Chelsea this time last year?
Updated
Some news for Pilgrims fans: Plymouth Argyle are close to agreeing a loan deal to bring towering centre-back Lloyd Jones back to his hometown club, who he played for as a youth player before joining Liverpool for £150,000 eight years ago, where he was earmarked as being the “next Carragher”. He’s still only 23.
Here are the stories on Neymar’s injury (mentioned earlier) and news that Serie A has been ditched by Eleven Sports:
There’s been very little news on Idrissa Gueye today, though reports that Manchester City have joined the race do not tally with what Pep Guardiola said after the defeat by Newcastle. “During the month I said we were not going to do anything in the transfer market. We were clear as a club that we were not in the transfer window. I’ve said it five times. It’s finishing.”
Updated
Matt Polster got away from Chicago Fire in good time. It’s -29c there. January in Glasgow will feel like the Bahamas.
Told a deal for Maxi Gómez is “very much alive” for the summer. Sounds like West Ham are optimistic of getting a deal done for the Celta Vigo striker. Not agreed yet, though.
A few moves in and out of MLS now, starting with Atlanta United, who are set to receive £20m from Newcastle for playmaker Miguel Almiron, who posted a farewell message on Instagram a few hours ago. Atlanta are expecting Paul Pogba’s brother, Florentin, to imminently sign a one-year deal. The defender is a free agent and has turned down the chance to join Elche in Spain. And Rangers have signed Chicago Fire’s USA defender Matt Polster on a two-and-a-half-year deal after the player impressed Steven Gerrard in a trial. “Rangers are today delighted to confirm the signing of Matt Polster subject to international clearance. The 25-year-old can play both at right-back and in midfield, and has been capped once for the United States national team,” said a club statement.
New United contracts for Martial and Mata?
Anthony Martial may be closing in on a new contract with Manchester United, according to reports in France.
If the 23-year-old does sign on again it will be a remarkable turnaround given how José Mourinho wanted to sell him in the summer.
While Martial’s current terms end in summer 2020, talks are also ongoing with Juan Mata regarding the Spaniard extending his stay at the club, which began in January 2014, when David Moyes signed him from Chelsea.
Sky Sports in Germany are reporting that a deal has been done between Manchester City and Schalke for the £11.3m transfer of 18-year-old Wales winger Rabbi Matondo, who has got into a car amid the snow after completing a medical in Gelsenkirchen.
#Schalke - hier geht’s für Rabbi #Matondo von der Unterschrift zum individuellen Training. #S04 #SSNHD pic.twitter.com/fwRprkcPjm
— Dirk g. Schlarmann (@Sky_Dirk) January 30, 2019
New Huddersfield striker Karlan Grant has been speaking about how he hopes to grasp the opportunity after joining for £2m from Charlton.
Ever since I was a boy I dreamt of playing in the Premier League, it’s what every kid dreams of. It’s a dream come true. I’m going to enjoy this. I’m not going to come here and hide. I want to showcase my talent and see what I can do on the big stage.
You can watch him plundering goals for Charlton in this unveiling video too:
✅ #AccessGRANTed#htafc (SE) pic.twitter.com/w436ixckew
— Huddersfield Town (@htafcdotcom) January 30, 2019
West Ham are close to sealing a deal with Celta Vigo for Maxi Gómez after agreeing to let Celta Vigo keep the forward until the summer, according to Sky. It means they may get him for about £3m less, so £40m instead of £43m. The deal appeared to be off last night but perhaps patience has paid off for the Hammers.
Updated
Neymar out for up to 10 weeks!
Some more big news from France now. PSG have confirmed that Neymar will be out for 10 weeks with a suspected broken metatarsal, meaning he will miss both legs of the Champions League tie with Manchester United and, if they were to win that, maybe even the quarter-finals and semi-finals too.
The helpful folk at Get French Football News, who have a weekly column with the Guardian, have rounded up the transfer news in France, some of which affects the likelihood of Yannick Carrasco moving to Arsenal or Inter. Monaco are involved heavily again (obviously).
Cardiff City have been rejected by 22-year-old Dijon right-back Valentin Rosier, but a deal for Monaco defender Almamy Touré remains in the realms of possibility before tomorrow’s deadline.
PSG are selling teenage midfield prospect Yacine Adli, who they fought so hard against Arsenal for the Frenchman to sign a professional contract with them instead this summer, to Bordeaux for €5.5m plus bonuses. RMC speculate that Les Parisiens are sanctioning the move to raise funds to sign Idrissa Gueye from Everton.
Shinji Kagawa has given the green light for a loan move to Monaco from Dortmund until the end of the season. Monaco VP Vasilyev was proposed the player earlier on in the window, but has decided to move now. The 29-year-old should arrive in the principality today.
Olivier Giroud turned down a €10m-a-year proposal from Dalian Yifang yesterday - the Chinese Super League club want to sign an attacker in order to let Yannick Carrasco go. Have also had a €40m bid for French international Alassane Pléa (Gladbach) rejected, according to L’Équipe.”
Updated
Aston Villa are four points off the playoffs and seem to be incredibly keen to bolster their ranks for a promotion push in the second half of the season. Villa boss Dean Smith has been told by Burnley that Ben Gibson is going nowhere so they will have to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements. They want some midfielders too, and Watford’s Nathaniel Chalobah and Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden are on their radar. Hayden is said to be unsettled on Tyneside and would like to move further south to be closer to his family in Wales.
“Stade Louis II Stadium? Is the stadium so nice they named it twice?” asks Hubert O’Hearn. You decide Hubert …
Updated
Anthony Martial’s future at Manchester United looked bleak under José Mourinho, but he is close to signing a new five-and-half-year deal to stay at Old Trafford now he is playing under master of good vibes, Ole Gunnar Solskjær. His wages would be boosted to around £190,000 per week. The 23-year-old has scored 10 goals this season and still looks like he has more to give.
Reports are emerging that Inter may do battle with Arsenal for Yannick Carrasco. Having knocked back the Gunners’ approaches for Ivan Perisic, if they jumped in ahead of Arsenal for Carrasco it would feel like they were doing it just to spite them! Or, more likely, could Carrasco going to Inter free up a move for Perisic to Arsenal?
Dalian Yifang want guarantees over a replacement for Yannick Carrasco. The Chinese club are open for a loan with option. Carrasco and family are unhappy in China. His camp say all options are still open: Inter or Arsenal? All is linked to Ivan Perisic’ future. #afc pic.twitter.com/NIwvoqeIYA
— Kristof Terreur 📰🎥 (@HLNinEngeland) January 30, 2019
Updated
Is Drinkwater the tonic for West Ham's woes?
Bad times for West Ham. They were dreadful as they suffered a third consecutive defeat last night, losing 3-0 to Wolves, and also lost Marko Arnautovic to a foot injury.
The forward celebrated his new deal by leaving Molineux on crutches and with a protective boot on his sore foot.The injuries are piling up. Samir Nasri and Aaron Cresswell were absent last night and it remains to be seen if they’ll return to face Liverpool on Monday.
What to do? Well, Danny Drinkwater on loan from Chelsea is emerging as a possibility …
“Are Monaco becoming the ‘Theseus’s Ship’ of clubs?” ponders James Knight. “If a club loses their manager, and most of their key squad players over the last few years, are they still the same club?Also, what if the original captain of the ship returns? Who even are Monaco anymore?!” Monaco have always appeared to be a kind of idea, rather than a tangible thing. I often think I’m dreaming when I see football being played in the Stade Louis II Stadium, such is its otherworldly appearance.
Monaco appear to be at the centre of this transfer window. Like a deep-lying transfer-window playmaker, every move appears to be going through them. Sky in Germany are reporting that Borussia Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa is on his way to Monaco to rubber-stamp a loan deal. Kagawa is still only 29! So, if he can find a little bit of his old magic he could be a very decent signing. His move may hasten the departure of Tielemans to Leicester, too. Watch this space.
Summary
Paul Pogba may be an injury doubt for Manchester United’s trip to Leicester City on Sunday, after the midfielder limped away from Old Trafford following Tuesday night’s draw with Burnley.
Pogba scored United’s first goal, an 87th-minute penalty, as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s team came from two behind - Victor Lindelof’s added time equaliser securing a point.
While Pogba finished the game he was later seen walking with apparent discomfort as he left the stadium. The draw was the first dropped points under Solskjær, coming in his seventh league match in charge.
Pogba said: “The comeback was positive but the result was disappointing. The reaction was good, we didn’t lose, but we dropped two points we could have won.”
Newcastle is suddenly a very lively place to be. While Rafa Benítez’s side were busy beating Manchester City last night, his admin bods were completing a deal for left-back Antonio Barreca from Monaco, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. Benítez is also licking his lips at the prospect of having playmaker Miguel Almirón in his squad after agreeing a club record fee of around £20m for the 24-year-old Atlanta midfielder. He is expected to arrive on Tyneside today to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms. Mike Ashley parting with £29m for non-retail related acquisitions? Who would have thought it? Oh, and reports suggest they’re also in talks with Benfica over a move for midfielder Andreas Samaris. Heady days for Rafa.
Antonio Barreca from Monaco to Newcastle. Done deal, he’ll be new left back for Rafa Benitez ✔️ #NUFC #Newcastle #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 29, 2019
Updated
You can catch up on all the transfers involving clubs in Europe’s leading leagues with our snazzy interactive. You can even filter it down to focus on one club’s January deals. A move you may have missed last night involves Jesé Rodriguez, who has left PSG for Real Betis on loan. His career has nosedived since leaving Madrid for PSG for £21m. Maybe he will rediscover his missing mojo in La Liga.
Updated
Over to Germany now, where Bayern Munich forward Sandro Wagner has agreed a move to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda. The 31-year-old joined Bayern from Hoffenheim last January, having started his career in the Bavarian club’s youth ranks. Wagner has eight caps for Germany and was part of the squad that clinched the 2017 Confederations Cup. The forward, who has played for a host of Bundesliga clubs including Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin, has made only 12 appearances for Bayern this season, scoring one goal in the German Cup.
Karlan Grant joins Huddersfield from Charlton
We have a done deal! Huddersfield have shaken off the defeat by Everton and got about their business early this morning. They need someone who can score goals in the Premier League or Championship. And they have signed fox-in-the-box Karlan Grant from Charlton for a fee believed to be around £2m to try to plunder them. Grant has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League’s bottom side, who have an option to extend the deal by another season. The 21-year-old has scored 14 goals for Charlton in League One this season. New Huddersfield boss, Jan Siewert said:
As I do, this club believes in talented young players and Karlan certainly fits that description. He’s a player I’m delighted to have the chance to work with. Our recruitment team has put a lot of work into bringing Karlan here. Importantly, he is a natural goalscorer. He has that knack of knowing which movement to make and finishing chances. He offers us something different to our current options in that he always tries to play on the shoulder of the final defender, looking to run in behind. He’s an athletic, pacey player and will really fit our playing style.
Updated
Good morning!
The window shuts tomorrow! Will things liven up a bit? Well, maybe. Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini is close to a £10.4m move to Shandong Luneng Taishan, who are willing to shovel over £200,000 a week (after tax!) into the Belgian’s bank account for his services. Barcelona’s Denis Suárez may turn up in London to seal his loan move to Arsenal. Luis Suárez pretty much waved him on his way on Tuesday night, saying on Twitter: “Good luck little Galician in this new challenge.” And I’m assuming he wasn’t talking about a new jigsaw puzzle that his namesake is doing. Arsenal’s attempt to bring Ivan Perisic to the Emirates appears to be at an end but they have reignited their interest in Yannick Carasco, according to Sky Italy. The 25-year-old Belgium winger is said to be unhappy at Dalian Yifang, in China, and would like to get his career up and running in a more competitive environment again. The Gunners have reportedly opened talks with the Chinese Super League club. Idrissa Gueye has attracted interest from PSG, but Manchester City and Arsenal have joined the race for the scurrying Everton midfielder’s signature. Citymay finally have twigged that beyond Fernandinho (who didn’t have his best night at Newcastle) they’re a little light in the ball-winning department. And Monaco’s Youri Tielemans appears to be heading to Leicester despite late interest from Spurs. He’s likely to join on loan with Adrien Silva going the other way. There should be an option to buy Tielemans for £20m in the summer too.
Updated
