Hello and welcome to Sports Mole’s live coverage of the latest transfer news and rumours from around the world of football on Friday, January 5.
Stay with us below to stay up to date with all the rumors of moves and deals made today.
The key moments of the day.
Thilo Kehrer signs for Monaco on loan from West Ham Arsenal make a touch for the deal with Onana Inter Milan beat Man City through the signing of Tajon Buchanan United are still waiting for Anthony Martial’s departure Ivan Perisic may have played the last game for Spurs Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting signs for Manchester United Conor Gallagher decided to stay at ChelseaEric Dier terms with Bayern Munich
Liverpool goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has joined Irish outfit St Patrick’s Athletic on loan after signing a new contract at Anfield.
The 21-year-old came through the Fluminense youth setup before joining Jurgen Klopp’s side in the summer of 2020, and he has kept nine clean sheets in 37 games for the Reds’ Under-23s side.
Pitaluga is yet to reach his senior role with Liverpool, he has been in and around the first team since his arrival, serving on the bench in the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup.
The Brazilian shot-stopper was named in Klopp’s matchday squad for December’s 2-0 top-flight win over Sheffield United, while he also has two clean sheets from five Premier League 2 appearances in the current campaign.
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Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers are reportedly set to battle for the signature of Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna.
The 27-year-old was reportedly banned from first-team education at Forest last month and was told he could leave the club in the January transfer window.
McKenna moved to the City Ground in September 2020 from Aberdeen and helped the club secure promotion from the Championship in 2022.
The Scotland international, who has made a total of 105 appearances for Forest in all competitions, fractured his collarbone in April, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
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Benfica are reportedly making an offer in January for Manchester United defender Álvaro Fernández.
The 20-year-old has recently been on loan at Granada in La Liga, making 14 appearances for the Spanish side in the 2023-24 campaign, making thirteen league appearances.
Fernandez has struggled to secure regular starts this term, but he played 88 minutes of Granada’s 2-0 success over Cadiz in La Liga on Wednesday, which proved to be just the team’s second league win of the season.
The defender spent the 2022-23 campaign away from Old Trafford, representing Preston North End in the championship, making 42 appearances in all competitions.
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Manchester United have reportedly been tracking Miguel Gutierrez from Girona in recent weeks, with the Red Devils contemplating signing the defender in January.
The 22-year-old came through Real Madrid’s youth academy, making 10 first-team appearances, before signing for Girona in August 2022.
Gutierrez was in fine form for the Catalan side last season, making 36 appearances in all competitions, while he has also inspired this season for La Liga’s wonder package.
The defender has contributed one goal and three assists in 20 games this season for a team that is in second place in the La Liga table, Real Madrid, in terms of head-to-head record.
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Liverpool and Manchester City are reportedly set to face Manchester United and Chelsea over the signing of Crystal Palace striker Michael Olise in this summer’s transfer window.
The 22-year-old’s long-term has been the subject of much speculation lately, with a recent report claiming that new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is determined to bring him to Man United this summer.
Chelsea also pushed to sign Olise in 2023, but the striker signed a new contract at Selhurst Park, with his existing terms running until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
However, there is said to be a clause in his deal this summer and Palace are expected to lose it due to the amount of interest.
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✍️ Welcome to #STFC, Dawson Devoy!
Signed for the season! ?✍️ #STFC are delighted to announce that Williams Kokolo has signed a contract extension with the club!
We are very pleased to announce the permanent signing of Finn Azaz from Aston Villa ✍️ Welcome to #Boro, @finnazaz! ? #UTB
“I’m very happy to bring Finn to the club. He’s an exciting player who already has a lot of experience. He’s having a smart season so far and we can’t wait to race with him,” coach Michael Carrick said.
Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are yet to reach a full agreement on signing Jadon Sancho in January, despite reports that the striker is close to returning to BVB.
The 23-year-old is set to leave Old Trafford following his falling-out with Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag, which stemmed from the attacker being left out against Arsenal at the start of September.
Sancho disputed Ten Hag’s claims that his poor performances in education led to him being excluded from the clash at the Emirates Stadium, with the former Manchester City striker releasing a statement on social media after the attack claiming he had been made a “scapegoat”. “.
The Englishman has been concerned about Man United’s first team for some time and is almost certain to leave the 20-time English champions in the near future.
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We can verify that Michael Garrity is back at the club following his loan spell with Annan Athletic and that Alexander King will return from his loan spell with Clyde on Monday, January 8. We would like to thank both clubs for their progression in either jugadores. pic. twitter. com/2Qih5yL3dQ
? Joe Mattock has now returned from his to @Official_HUFC Welcome, Baz ? pic. twitter. com/aS30x8e1je
Ligue 1 side Monaco have finalised the loan deal of West Ham United’s permanent Thilo Kehrer until the end of the season, with an option to buy this summer.
Kehrer, who passed his medical on Thursday, returns to France just 18 months after leaving Paris Saint-Germain to join the Hammers on a four-year contract in August 2022.
Monaco is understood to pay an initial €500,000 (£431,000) for the loan deal, plus an €11 million (£9. 5 million) option to make it permanent.
Sky Deutschland reports that there are performance-related credentials that could turn the option to buy into an obligation this summer.
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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has admitted that agent Ivan Perisic may have played his last game for the club due to his devastating ACL injury.
The Croatian was a replacement in Spurs’ first five Premier League games of the 2023-24 season with Postecoglou, and also started and helped in the 2-1 EFL Cup defeat to Fulham.
However, after also setting up Richarlison’s equaliser in Tottenham’s enthralling 2-1 comeback success over Sheffield United on September 16, Perisic became the latest high-profile victim of an ACL problem sustained in training.
The 34-year-old underwent immediate surgery but was feared to miss the rest of the season, which could put an unfortunate end to his Tottenham career before his contract expires this summer.
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Inter Milan have announced the signing of Canadian player Tajon Buchanan from Club Brugge.
The 24-year-old joins the Serie A leaders on a four-and-a-half-year deal until the end of the 2027-28 season, and Inter are believed to have paid a fixed fee of €7m (£6m), which could rise to €10m (£8.6m) with performance-related add-ons.
Buchanan leaves Club Brugge following a successful two-year spell in Belgium, where he scored five goals and provided 12 assists in 67 games as both a right midfielder and right-back.
“Hello, Inter fans, I’m Tajon Buchanan. I’m satisfied to be here despite everything and I can’t wait to meet you at San Siro,” the former New England Revolution player told Inter’s media channels.
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Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea are in no hurry to sign contracts in the January transfer window.
Despite spending in excess of £1bn across three windows, it has been widely reported that the Blues are interested in doing business at the midway point of 2023-24.
There have been suggestions that a new centre-back, central midfield and forward could be on Pochettino’s radar, as well as a desire to add more height to his ranks.
However, Chelsea also have an urgent fear of FFP, as their extravagant spending in the future makes it imperative to make sales at some point in the near future.
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Manchester United reportedly still expect Anthony Martial to leave the club in the summer transfer window despite suggestions of talks over a new deal.
On Thursday, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag showed that the contracts of Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Hannibal Mejbri had been extended by a year, and they are now tied to the club until 2025.
However, neither Martial nor Raphael Varane, whose contracts expire at the end of the season, have been activated, leaving them free to start talks with foreign clubs this month.
Ten Hag told the media that the club was “talking” to Varane and Martial grounds, suggesting a new deal could be on the way, but declined to go into major points about the nature of the talks.
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Ross County FC can confirm Ben Paton has left the club following the expiry of his contract.The former Blackburn Rovers and Canadian youth International played 22 times for RCFC and was part of the team that finished in the top 6 in season 2021/2022.We would like to thank Ben… pic.twitter.com/LsNqId4v3Z
We are very pleased to announce that we have finalised the signing of Ben Williamson from Hamilton Academical FC. We have reached an undisclosed agreement with Glasgow Rangers FC for the player. We thank the GRFC for their cooperation. ?⚪️ pic. twitter. com/6zeuWk9Ir8
We are very pleased to welcome Mak Kirk from Hearts on loan until the end of the season. We would like to thank Hearts FC for a smooth transaction. pic. twitter. com/1NzUNu1mVY
Welcome ?? #ForzaInter #BienvenidoTajon
From Naples to. . . Welcome Pasquale!?? https://t. co/SQF6vEodMJ#ForzaNapoliSempre #FromNapoliToTheWorld
Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has agreed to join Manchester United on loan for the remainder of the season.
Despite forking out a whopping £72m to bring Rasmus Hojlund to the club from Atalanta BC over the summer, the Red Devils’ desire to bolster their attacking ranks is no secret.
Man United have continued their move for Hojlund after failing in their attempts to capture Harry Kane from Bayern and Victor Osimhen from Napoli, the Dane has struggled to adapt to Premier League life in his first few months at the club.
While he scored five goals in Man United’s failed Champions League leg, Hojlund went 14 games without opening his Premier League account before taking off late in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
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Good for Yasin Ayari, who moved from Coventry City to @Rovers, where he signed on loan for the rest of the season. ?
“Yasin is normal in the Coventry team, but his playing time is limited,” Brighton manager David Weir said.
“We feel his move to Blackburn will give him more opportunities to play, and we’re looking forward to following his progress in the second half of the season.”
Arsenal have reportedly reached out to Everton to be interested in a January deal for midfielder Amadou Onana.
The Belgian has been on display in the Premier League since leaving Lille for Goodison Park in the summer of 2022, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists in 56 appearances for Sean Dyche’s men.
Onana’s contract with Everton doesn’t expire for another three-and-a-half years, but, unsurprisingly, it has been suggested that the 22-year-old will leave the Merseyaspect side in search of European football for the 2024-25 season.
Arsenal and Manchester United are said to be in a position to battle for Onana’s signing this year, but Everton are unlikely to settle for January bids for such a built-in cog in their system.
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly ready to loan out several of the club’s youngsters during the January transfer window.
At a time when United are ready to oversee the departures of first-team players in order to bolster their FFP position, a number of prospects have been left with minimal game time.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Dan Gore is among the players who may be allowed to sign for another team on a temporary basis.
Despite having a high rating at Old Trafford, the 19-year-old has been limited to two replacement outings this campaign, one in the EFL Cup and another more recently in the Premier League as United beat Aston Villa.
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✍️ VITOR ROQUE IS OFFICIALLY SIGNED! pic. twitter. com/Jp8uMwNXyu
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly making a move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
Having made the switch to the Etihad Stadium from Leeds United for an initial £42m in 2022, Phillips had been expected to be provided with regular game time.
Instead, he has made just six starts and 25 substitute appearances, and Pep Guardiola himself admits a move in January is a possibility.
The English foreigner is short of interest, but difficulties may arise simply from City’s demands, even when it comes to loans.
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Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier has reportedly signed for Bayern Munich.
After nine years in the first team, where he amassed 361 appearances in all competitions, Dier’s tenth crusade with the North Londoners went as he would have hoped.
The 29-year-old is in the plans of head coach Ange Postecoglou and has been limited to just 198 minutes of Premier League football.
This is despite Spurs suffering too much in dominance thanks to Cristian Romero’s suspension and injuries and Micky van de Ven’s hamstring problem.
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Thilo Kehrer has joined AS Monaco on loan until the end of the season.Everyone at the Club wishes Thilo the best for his loan spell.
“West Ham United manager Thilo Kehrer has joined AS Monaco on loan until the end of the 2023-24 season, with a view to making the move permanent this summer,” reads a press release from the Hammers.
“Everyone at West Ham wishes Thilo all the best during his loan spell in the Principality of Monaco. “
Conor Gallagher is reportedly determined to reject any transfer away from Chelsea during the January transfer window.
After completing several loan spells away from the club, Gallagher is lately in his full season as a senior player at Stamford Bridge, the first in which he has spent time in the team and on the bench.
During 2023-24 under Mauricio Pochettino, though, the academy graduate has established himself as a key man and has also been provided with the captain’s armband on several occasions.
The 23-year-old has made 19 starts in the Premier League – only missing one game due to suspension – and he is viewed as an integral part of Pochettino’s side through his energy and pressing from the centre of the pitch.
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Fulham are said to be confident of retaining key midfielder Joao Palhinha beyond the end of the January transfer window.
The Portugal international has apparently emerged as a target for several top European clubs thanks to a string of impressive performances under Marco Silva and saw a summer move to Bayern Munich collapse at the last minute.
The German champions are expected to reignite their interest in 2024, while Arsenal and Liverpool are also said to have covered up offers for the former Sporting Lisbon player.
However, Fulham have a contract with Palhinha until 2028, having hooked him to an extension following his failed move to Bayern, with the Evening Standard reporting that the Cottagers hope to retain him through the winter.
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Hello and welcome to the moving news and rumors day!
Before we get started with conversations about today’s biggest moves, let’s start with a quick recap of what happened yesterday.
Yesterday’s top storiesErik ten Hag confirms contracts for three new Man United playersDjed Spence returns to Spurs from LeedsChelsea’s Alex Matos joins Huddersfield on loanZack Steffen leaves Manchester CitySergio Reguilon returns to Spurs as Man United loan cut shortKylian Mbappe yet to make decision on futureMohamed Salah closing in on new Liverpool deal despite Saudi interest
Click here to read all the main points of all yesterday’s news and movement rumors.