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
Read MoreTransfer news live
- January transfer window opens tomorrow
- Manchester City lead race for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo
- Crystal Palace agree fee for Tottenham's Brennan Johnson
- Liverpool unlikely to revive pursuit of Marc Guehi
- Mohamed Salah set to stay at Liverpool as Saudi interest cools
- Manchester United monitoring RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande
- Mikel Arteta urges Arsenal to be 'active' in the transfer market
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.
Man City move ahead of Liverpool in Antoine Semenyo battle
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!
