SM
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the latest transfer news and rumours from around the world of football on Tuesday, January 2!
Stick with us below to keep up to date with all of today's transfer rumours and done deals.
Turkish clubs Besiktas and Trabzonspor have reportedly made offers for fringe Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny
Elneny has featured just once in the Premier League this season, and it was as an 89th-minute substitute in the Gunners' 5-0 win against Sheffield United in October.
The Egyptian did make his solitary start of the season away to PSV Eindhoven on matchday six of the Champions League, but it has become apparent there is no place for him in Mikel Arteta's plans.
Therefore, the Daily Mail claims that, as Arsenal are considering offers for some of their lesser-used squad players, the two Turkish clubs are interested in signing Elneny.
Manchester United have reportedly opened up discussions with Borussia Dortmund regarding a loan move for Jadon Sancho.
The exiled winger moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021, after three very productive years with Dortmund, where Sancho was given his big break.
At Signal Iduna Park, Sancho scored 50 goals and set up a further 57 in the yellow and black of Dortmund, earning him a big money to Man United.
While the 23-year-old featured regularly in his first two seasons at Old Trafford, he has since been banished from the squad after a public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag.
Manchester United have reportedly learned that they will only be able to bring in a new forward on loan this month.
With the coffers tightened, it has sparked rumours that the club may move for former Premier League duo Timo Werner and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting
Goals have been a problem for Erik ten Hag's side so far this season, with only the bottom two of Burnley and Sheffield United having scored fewer.
United's big-money summer signing Rasmus Hojlund only has one Premier League goal to his name, while Marcus Rashford has underwhelmed with just three.
Bayern Munich are reportedly set to renew their interest in Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah and Fulham's Joao Palhinha.
The German champions made a significant impression in the summer window with the signing of Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.
While they also signed Kim Min-jae, Daniel Peretz, Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro, Bayern did miss out on a couple of their summer targets.
A proposed loan deal for Chalobah fell through, before they ran out of time to complete the permanent transfer of Palhinha.
Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly at the front of the queue to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.
The 28-year-old has spent the last nine years at the Allianz Arena after arriving from fellow German club RB Leipzig in January 2015.
Despite enjoying a long association with Bayern, his future with the perennial German champions is currently the subject of much speculation.
Kimmich has entered the final 18 months of his Bayern contract, and it is currently unclear whether he will sign a new deal with the club.
"I'm feeling good, it's an amazing feeling. Obviously, I haven't been here too long, but I think I've done well and settled in and I'm happy to sign a new deal," he told the club's official website.
"The players and the coaching staff have been fantastic with me. The city is nice, it's a bit different to London as it's quiet. But I think I've settled in well.
"I think I've played well so far, and there's still loads I can improve on. I've got on the scoresheet a couple of times and got some assists.
"I feel like my individual performances have been good, but there's still more I can carry on with and improve on.
"Training with the first team is good for my development. You can see the small details and it's good for me to learn these things and take them on and apply them to my game as well.
"I'd say I look up to all of them, but in my position I'd say Kenny McLean. He's so professional, you can see he's a true leader. I'd say he's one I look up to.
"I just take everyday as it comes. We've got training again, I'll put my all into that."
Sergio Reguilon is set to return to Tottenham Hotspur after Manchester United opted to cut his loan move short.
The 27-year-old joined the Red Devils on a season-long loan move in September following injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Man United had initially picked out Chelsea's Marc Cucurella as their top left-back target, before an appearance in the EFL Cup complicated a potential loan switch.
As a result, the 20-time English champions turned their focus to agreeing a temporary deal with Tottenham for Reguilon.
"We are delighted to have agreed Luke's extension. He has done well so far and has fitted in really well with the rest of the boys," said manager Stewart Petrie.
"He plays with a maturity beyond his years and his versatility gives us good options across the back line.
"I would again like to thank Tony and his team at Dens for helping make this loan happen."
Juventus have reportedly placed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the top of their wishlist for the January transfer window.
The Bianconeri are expected to strengthen their midfield this month, especially in light of the absence of Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli.
Hojbjerg has fallen in the pecking order this season under Ange Postecoglou and has been used mainly as a rotation option for Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma.
The Danish international is believed to be open to the possibility of a move away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in search of regular playing time during the current transfer window.
Pape Matar Sarr has signed a new long-term Tottenham contract to keep him at the club until 2030.
The 21-year-old has established himself as a key member of Ange Postecoglou's first-team set-up in North London so far this season, featuring in 18 of their 20 Premier League games under the Australian manager.
Sixteen of those appearances have been from the start, while he has contributed two goals and two assists in that time, including scoring in the 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on New Year's Eve.
Sarr was later forced to leave that match prematurely due to a hamstring injury, limping off the field in tears around the half-hour mark.
Barcelona are reportedly hopeful that they can sign Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia for as little as €12m (£10.4m).
Head coach Xavi is a known admirer of Garcia and admitted last month that the 26-year-old has the "technical ability" and "level" to play for the reigning La Liga champions.
Garcia sparked speculation over a potential move to Camp Nou last month when he expressed his desire to represent Barca at some stage in his career.
"I would like to play for Barca," Aleix told Movistar Plus. "It is the club that I have followed since I was little and the one that I have always liked."
Manchester United have reportedly identified Atalanta BC defender Giorgio Scalvini as a potential replacement for Raphael Varane.
Varane is due to see his contract at Old Trafford expire in June 2024 and the Red Devils have allegedly decided against triggering a 12-month extension clause.
The 30-year-old was a first-team regular under Erik ten Hag last season, but he has since struggled for consistent game time this term, starting just 11 times for Man United across all competitions.
While Lisandro Martinez remains out though injury, Varane has fallen behind Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans in the pecking order, with rumours of a fallout between the Frenchman and Ten Hag alleged to have contributed to his first-team demotion.
Arsenal are close to agreeing a new long-term contract with defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, according to a report.
The 25-year-old joined the Gunners from Bologna in the summer of 2021 and quickly established himself as the club's first-choice right-back under head coach Mikel Arteta following the departure of Hector Bellerin.
Tomiyasu has since had to deal with a number of niggling injuries and has subsequently lost his regular starting place to Ben White.
The Japan international has made a total of 73 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, including 10 starts in 20 outings so far this season.
The agent of Rodrigo Gomes has acknowledged that Wolverhampton Wanderers have expressed an interest in signing the Braga winger.
With Fabio Silva having already joined Rangers on loan and reports indicating that Sasa Kalajdzic could also depart on a temporary basis, Wolves are in need of additions in the final third during January.
At the turn of the year, it was reported in Portugal that Gomes was a name that had been placed on their shortlist courtesy of his performances on loan at Estoril Praia.
Gomes has been in sensational form during 2023-24, already chipping in four goals and six assists from his 14 appearances in Primeira Liga.
West Ham United have reportedly made initial contact with Tottenham Hotspur over a possible move for Eric Dier.
The 29-year-old has spent almost a decade in North London and has made a total of 364 appearances for Spurs across all competitions, but he has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of head coach Ange Postecoglou.
Dier has made just four Premier League appearances so far this season and Postecoglou has preferred to play full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal in central defence over the England international in recent weeks.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven established themselves as the first-choice centre-back pairing earlier this season, but both players are currently sidelined with injuries.
Fulham captain Tom Cairney has signed a new contract extension that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2025.
Cairney's previous deal had been due to expire this summer, meaning that he was free to discuss terms with foreign clubs from January 1.
However, Fulham have triggered a one-year extension clause in the 32-year-old's deal that will see him reach 10 years of service with the Cottagers, having initially joined in 2015.
"It means everything to me to extend my contract. 10 years is a hell of a long time in football, a very rare thing," Cairney told the club's official website.
Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have ambitions to tie up a deal for Genoa defender Radu Dragusin as soon as possible.
Spurs have generally impressed under head coach Ange Postecoglou since the Greek-Australian was appointed as head coach in the summer.
However, despite sitting in fifth position in the Premier League standings, the North Londoners have conceded 29 goals from their 20 league games.
On the back of having Cristian Romero sent off against Chelsea on November 6 and Micky van de Ven sustain a hamstring injury in the same game, their lack of depth in central defence was exposed.
Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho is reportedly attracting interest from Southampton after returning to Anfield.
Over the weekend, the Merseyside giants confirmed that they had recalled the playmaker from his loan stint with Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
The hope had been that the 21-year-old would cement a first-team place at the German side, yet the opposite has transpired with just two starts being provided in all competitions.
A further 12 outings came from the substitutes' bench, but despite a recent start in a Champions League dead-rubber with Young Boys, Liverpool were not convinced that the Portugal Under-21 international would break into the first XI on a regular basis.
Galatasaray may reportedly look to terminate the loan spell of Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech during the January transfer window.
The Turkish giants won the race to secure the Morocco international's signature in the summer when a move to the Saudi Pro League fell through.
An issue in a medical resulted in the transfer to the Middle East breaking down, but Galatasaray were prepared to strike a loan deal with Chelsea with the obligation to buy.
That is something that was confirmed by Chelsea at the time and is expected to be finalised in due course.
Al-Ahli striker Roberto Firmino has reportedly decided against a move to Premier League club Sheffield United in the January transfer window.
Firmino moved to the riches of the Saudi Pro League back in the summer following the expiration of his contract at Liverpool, where he enjoyed a successful eight-year period.
Since bagging a hat-trick on the opening day of the season against Al Hazem, Firmino has failed to make the net ripple in his next 16 league appearances in the Middle East.
Sections of the Al-Ahli fanbase are unhappy with the 55-time Brazil international's performances, with their team 13 points behind league leaders Al-Hilal.
West Ham United have announced that midfielder Tomas Soucek has extended his contract with the club until June 2027.
The 28-year-old initially joining the Hammers on loan from Slavia Prague in January 2020 before making his move to the London Stadium permanent the following summer.
Soucek has since established himself as a key cog in David Moyes's machine, scoring 30 goals in 182 appearances across all competitions.
The Czech Republic international chipped in with three goals and six assists in 50 games last season and helped the Hammers win the Europa Conference League – the club's first European trophy for 58 years.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 43 | 18 | 25 | 45 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 43 | 27 | 16 | 42 |
| 3 | Manchester CityMan City | 19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 45 | 21 | 24 | 40 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 20 | 17 | 40 |
| 5 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 39 |
| 6 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 30 | 3 | 33 |
| 7 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 20 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 27 | -5 | 31 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 33 | 5 | 30 |
| 9 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 20 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 29 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 34 | 31 | 3 | 28 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 31 | -1 | 28 |
| 12 | Bournemouth | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 35 | -7 | 25 |
| 13 | Fulham | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 28 | 35 | -7 | 24 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 29 | -7 | 21 |
| 15 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 35 | -11 | 20 |
| 16 | Brentford | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 19 |
| 17 | Everton | 20 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 28 | -4 | 16 |
| 18 | Luton TownLuton | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 37 | -14 | 15 |
| 19 | Burnley | 20 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 41 | -21 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd | 20 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 49 | -34 | 9 |
ISOCountry Code:
Matched Country Groups:
