Chelsea complete Enzo Fernandez signing on deadline day, Man Utd confirm Marcel Sabitzer loan
Chelsea’s pursuit of Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez went down to the wire on deadline day, after Arsenal completed the signing of Blues midfielder Jorginho
Chelsea have completed the signing of Enzo Fernandez for £106m, in what is a British transfer record. The Blues met Benfica’s release clause for the Argentina midfielder shortly before Tuesday’s 11pm transfer deadline.
A statement from the Portuguese side confirmed the deal past midnight after Chelsea rushed to complete the transfer.
It came after Manchester United signed Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season. The Austria international adds to United’s midfield options after Christian Eriksen was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.
Brighton held on to midfielder Moises Caicedo, but Arsenal turned their attention to another target and signed Jorginho from Premier League rivals Chelsea in a £13m deal.
Elsewhere, Tottenham confirmed the signing of right back Pedro Porro, with Matt Doherty joining Atletico Madrid on a free transfer after his contract with Spurs was terminated by mutual agreement.
Follow all the latest transfer news and rumours, below:
Done deal! Nottingham Forest sign Felipe from Atletico Madrid
Another one!
Forest make their final splash of the January transfer window with another signing, and another Brazilian. They have announced the transfer of experienced centre-back Felipe from Atletico Madrid.
The 33-year-old has signed a contract until 2024 and said: “It was a dream of mine to play in the Premier League and I’m really excited to be part of this wonderful, fast-growing club.
“You can see it’s a club looking to really grow. It’s a big challenge for me and I made a clear decision to be part of the history here and grow with the club.”
Spurs confirm Spence loan
Djed Spence has joined Ligue 1 side Rennes for the remainder of the 2022/23 season Tottenham have confirmed.
Having joined from Middlesbrough last summer, the England Under-21 international made his Premier League debut in a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in August 2022.
The right-back has made six appearances for Spurs but will team up with fellow loanee Joe Rodon who joined the French side on a season-long loan at the beginning of the current campaign.
Fulham close to Cedric loan
Fulham have made a breakthrough in their talks to sign right back Cedric Soares on loan from Arsenal.
Sky Sports News report that Cedric will join the club until the end of the season, with no option to buy.
Mohamed Elneny: Arsenal midfielder undergoes surgery after knee injury
Arsenal have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny will be out for an ‘extended period of time’ after the midfielder underwent surgery on an injured knee.
Elneny has missed Arsenal’s last two Premier League outings – victories over north London rivals Tottenham and most recently Manchester United – and the league leaders have now revealed that the Egypt international’s injury is ‘significant.’
As such, Elneny will be sidelined for a lengthy spell for the second time this season, following a two-month absence between September and November due to a thigh issue.
Arsenal provide Mohamed Elneny injury update
The midfielder has been ruled out for the Premier League leaders for an ‘extended period of time’
James Maddison set to stay at Leicester
It appears James Maddison will be staying at Leicester for the rest of the season. The England international had been linked with Newcastle last summer but there was less interest in the attacking midfielder this month. Maddison has been out injured since the World Cup, and will now look to help Leicester move clear of the relegation places.
Enzo Fernandez transfer saga to go down to the wire
As expected, Chelsea’s pursuit of Enzo Fernandez is going to go down to the wire tonight.
As reported by The Independent, Benfica have been insistent that Chelsea pay the midfielder’s £106million release clause if they want the deal done.
According to Miguel Delaney, such a move would bring expensive tax costs, so the Stamford Bridge hierarchy have attempted to come up with a deal worth slightly more than that clause, that can be paid in installments.
Chelsea have put forward a number of different options, like the fee being front-loaded to the first payment. Benfica have been unwilling to accept this, and their stance has been repeated.
Caicedo staying at Brighton
Brighton have held onto their man. The Seagulls have seen off approaches from both Chelsea and Arsenal during this transfer window as neither club reached their specific valuation for the sought-after midfielder.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the Gunners have given up their pursuit of Caicedo after turning their attention to signing Jorginho from Chelsea. Brighton were adamant that Caicedo wouldn’t leave this month and that looks set to be the case now.
Done deal! Crystal Palace sign Naouirou Ahamada
Crystal Palace have announced the signing of Naouirou Ahamada from Stuttgart.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who has been capped at U-18 level by France, arrives on a £10m deal from the Bundesliga side.
“I’m very happy to have joined this club. It is an amazing club, and I’m very excited to get started.
“I want to show my quality, and I want to help this team with my quality. I want to play games, work hard, train hard and progress, and help the team.”
TWO HOURS TO GO!
Into the final stages now! Here’s what we’re still waiting for:
Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea
Marcel Sabitzer to Manchester United
Pedro Porro to Tottenham
Matt Doherty to Atletico
Cedric Soares to Fulham
Lokonga to Crystal Palace
Done deals:
Jorginho to Arsenal
Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich
Off:
Alessia Russo to Arsenal
Conor Gallagher to Everton
Leeds target deadline day move for Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo
Leeds United are in talks with Roma about a move for attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.
The primary difference between the Whites and the Serie A club is currently over whether it should be a temporary or permanent deal.
While the Premier League club want the 23-year-old on loan, Roma would prefer to sell and have been looking to offload Zaniolo all window.
There remains some doubt over whether the deal will go through as there are many moving parts, not least Jack Harrison’s prospective move from Leeds United to Leicester City.
Leeds target deadline day move for Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo
The Whites could move for the Italian, who has been out of favour under Jose Mourinho at Roma
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