The good old winter transfer window is upon us. Time to panic, time to overspend, and if you're Manchester United, time to rue all of the past decisions that have led you to a place of no cash and very little hope. This year already feels different in that multiple big names are being linked with moves away from their clubs.
Liverpool fans may feel nervous as contract situations linger on and Mo Salah does his best to make it look like he's definitely leaving in the summer. Here's 10 names who will fill the gossip column throughout a month where bargain hunting goes out the window and complete panic sets in. Front-runners: Manchester United, Chelsea Dark horses: Arsenal The summer debacle that led Victor Osimhen to Galatasaray on loan has certainly worked out for the Turkish club.
Napoli's prime asset has scored nine in as many starts in the Super Lig. Every goal is a reminder that one of the best strikers in around has an uncertain future simmering. Optimistic Manchester United fans will be paying attention to reports suggesting the Red Devils could swap him for out-of-favour Marcus Rashford.
Chelsea fans may wish to see an alternative to Nicolas Jackson if Christopher Nkunku is rarely going to be trusted. Arsenal fans will dream of just signing a striker. It feels like the market for strikers of this level is extremely shallow.
Osimhen has transformative powers for teams he represents and January is an excellent time for potential suitors to get ahead in the race to sign him before an inevitable permanent exit from Napoli in the summer. Front-runners: Napoli, Milan Dark horses: Paris Saint-Germain, Saudi Arabia, Seattle Sounders Osimhen moving to United would likely spell the end for Rashford. A lot needs to happen for that to ever become a possibility in January, as the Premier League strugglers don't have much immediate money to spend in order to ease Ruben Amorim's woes.
Rashford doesn't fit into what the Portuguese manager is trying to do–or at least doesn't seem to have the attitude to fit in–so his recent spell on the bench is an indicator he will leave sometime soon. Napoli and Milan are reportedly interested in taking Rashford to Serie A. The former may provide the perfect situation for both clubs involved if Osimhen is allowed to go the other way.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has indicated Rashford has no interest in joining Saudi Arabia, while writer Ben Jacobs believe s a move to Club World Cup participants Seattle Sounders could be an unlikely possibility. One thing's for sure: everybody involved needs this situation sorted ASAP. Front-runners: Manchester City Dark horses: Manchester United Barcelona's financial issues have caught up with them again.
Dani Olmo is no longer registered to play for the Catalan club after their appeal fell short. Both Manchester clubs are heavily linked with the Euro 2024 hero's services and his agent told Romano the situation is a " stressful " time in the player's career. Football Insider 's Peter O'Rourke believes Olmo to Man City will get done in the winter window.
However, the player wishes to remain at Barcelona after a great start to life with La Liga's giants, despite struggling through injury since signing in the summer. Olmo's creativity and hard work would slot right into Pep Guardiola's lineup. Rodri's injury means the side have surrendered possession a lot easier this campaign, with the slowing legs of Ilkay Gündoğan not helping them spring forward when the ball is won back.
A combo of Olmo and Bernardo Silva would be quite something to watch. For United..
.just getting anyone who is confident on the ball would amount to a successful window. Front-runners: Any Saudi club Dark horses: N/A Mo Salah continues to fuel exit speculation as Liverpool fail to agree a new contract with their iconic forward.
In his own words, he's in his " last year " with the club. He's also in arguably his best-ever career form, taking just 18 Premier League matches to reach a combined total of 30 goals and assists this campaign. At 32 years old Salah just seems to be improving his ability to impact matches even when he doesn't have much of the ball.
It looks like he will lead Liverpool to the title before waving goodbye, for this is not a club that breaks its back to keep star players with excessive demands. It would be unthinkable for Salah to leave Liverpool and not head to Saudi Arabia. He represents a statement signing for the league at the height of his powers.
It's a long-touted move that looks like it will happen unless the player compromises on his demands and accepts Liverpool's sporting project over cash elsewhere. Front-runners: Real Madrid Dark horses: N/A Real Madrid's bid for Trent Alexander-Arnold felt like president Florentino Perez beginning to flex his luring power. The Times reports a second bid is on the way for a player Los Blancos could sign for free at any moment.
He is wanted immediately due to Dani Carvajal's season-ending injury. Liverpool's inability to agree a new contract provides Madrid with the faint hope that they'd rather just accept some money for the English full-back in order to stop him leaving for nothing. Alexander-Arnold's skillset is a frightening prospect to lose.
The boyhood Reds star is backed up by the hugely promising Conor Bradley; the man whose tackle on Kylian Mbappé felt like a watershed moment in his career earlier this season. However, he doesn't have Trent's wicked delivery and knack for creating goals just yet. Liverpool need answers in January.
Perez and Madrid will keep chipping away and flaunting what they can offer until Trent makes his decision. Front-runners: Manchester United Dark horses: Arsenal Ruben Amorim has reportedly promised Sporting he won't return for players in the January window. That only really provides temporary reprieve to the Viktor Gyökeres situation, which will end with arguably the hottest striker in the world moving to an elite club for a lot of money.
The Swede is allegedly keen on a switch to Old Trafford. Amorim's sway would be massive if it happens, as one has to ask why anyone would want to play for United in this moment of time, particularly after the fans' awful treatment of Joshua Zirkzee. This feels like a summer story.
Sporting would be throwing their season away by letting Gyökeres leave at this juncture, giving themselves zero opportunity to replace the man who has 21 goals already in Liga Portugal. Front-runners: Manchester City Dark horses: Liverpool Martin Zubimendi was the one time the saviour of Liverpool's midfield, now not needed at Anfield due to the emergence of Ryan Gravenberch. The Guardian reports Manchester City will step in to tempt Real Sociedad's brilliant midfielder, who literally replaced Rodri in the Euro 2024 final and could now do the same in Pep's middle.
This one makes total sense if the player can be convinced. Zubimendi has already turned down multiple opportunities to move, such is his connection to the club that developed him into a world-class player. City's current form is starting to pick up after a historically awful run, but this definitely isn't the team we've seen dominate the football landscape in recent years.
Much of that comes down to a lack of legs and control in midfield. Zubimendi is undoubtedly the man to make a difference, if he can finally be convinced to leave his beloved San Sebastián. Front-runners: Liverpool Dark horses: Manchester United Milos Kerkez has a lot of intriguing links to Liverpool that could make him a readymade replacement for Andy Robertson.
Richard Hughes, the man who played a major role in bringing the left-back to Bournemouth, now works for the Merseyside club. Kerkez's Hungarian teammate Dominik Szoboszlai is also a key player at the club and someone who should be there for many years to come. Timing is also important; Robertson has struggled at times this season and looks to have lost a little agility against wingers who are beginning to get the upper hand.
Kerkez certainly represents a quality investment. At 21 years old he's a vital player for a Bournemouth side that are absolutely flying in the Premier League. He's a good defender, quality on the ball and offers an attacking zest that is starting to come to the fore.
The Cherries star would make a lot of sense for Manchester United, too, but Amorim's winter prospects look completely dependent on shifting players first. Front-runners: Manchester United Dark horses: PSG, RB Leipzig Please can someone free Christopher Nkunku. Here's a guy who destroyed the Bundesliga with his goal scoring prowess and then suffered a terrible injury during his first season with Chelsea.
He worked hard to get back to fitness in his second year at Stamford Bridge, scoring 12 goals so far, largely across secondary competitions like the UEFA Conference League. He is a brilliant footballer; technical, skilful, lethal. He's been given just three starts in the Premier League despite proving himself fit and capable.
A player of Nkunku's quality simply shouldn't be confined to the bench. There's a multitude of clubs who need his output. None more so than Manchester United, who continue to be rumoured as interested in his services.
United and Chelsea have a recent history of working together, with Jadon Sancho's recent switch to Stamford Bridge going ahead with little trouble. Perhaps that relationship could strike again, especially as United are no threat to Chelsea's race for the top four in the domestic division. Front-runners: Tottenham Dark horses: Newcastle, Aston Villa Jack Grealish doesn't get the scrutiny a lot of players in his price bracket receive.
He's English and a wonderful character, so is likely protected by the press more than say...
Antony. His stats are woeful for a £100 million signing and he's rarely relied upon by Pep, who has favoured the improving Savinho on Grealish's left side in recent matches. Grealish also doesn't suit Pep's ultra-detailed, hold-possession-at-all-costs style.
We saw a superstar at Aston Villa, someone who would try things on the ball with confidence and freedom. Now we see a player who flits forward slowly and plays a backwards pass instead of trying something exquisite. Lee Carsley's use of Grealish in England's win over Republic of Ireland–where he dominated at No.
10–was a reminder that so many teams would allow the player to regain his spark. Tottenham are linked and would make a ton of sense with Ange Postecoglou's relentless attacking style, while rumours of Newcastle and Aston Villa's interest would also act as a major opportunity for the player who needs to put a run of performances together to be at his best. Sixteen Premier League starts in a season and a half just doesn't work.
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B/R Football's 2025 Winter Transfer Big Board
The good old winter transfer window is upon us. Time to panic, time to overspend, and if you're Manchester United, time to rue all of the past decisions that ha