Who moves on transfer deadline day? Gallagher to leave Chelsea?

The 2024 winter transfer window has entered its final hours as time runs out until Thursday's deadline. The Premier League is set to close at 11 p.m. GMT / 6 p.m. ET (find out when other leagues close here), and some clubs in Europe could still strike a deal or two.

But don't expect much as this is the quietest January window on record in the Premier League, with all 20 clubs spending less than £100 million between them. A year ago, the total spend stood at £815 million, with Chelsea's signing of Enzo Fernández from Benfica for £105 million topping the list and breaking the British transfer record at the same time.

The threat of breaching the Premier League's strict Profitability and Sustainability (P&S) rules has forced clubs to restrict spending this month, especially in light of Everton's 10-point deduction in November for exceeding their spending limits. The club's appeal against this sanction will be heard on Wednesday.

Deals were still made: Barcelona signed 18-year-old striker Vitor Roque for 40 million euros, Bayern Munich spent 30 million euros to sign Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey, Atlético Madrid signed Antwerp star Arthur Vermeeren for 27 million euros and Tottenham Hotspur signed 18-year-old striker Vitor Roque for 40 million euros. a €25 million move for Genoa defender Radu Dragusin and Manchester City signing Claudio Echeverri from River Plate for an initial fee of €15 million, before sending him back on loan.

But the majority of deals revolved around loan deals, including Jadon Sancho (Manchester United to Borussia Dortmund), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig to Tottenham), Kalvin Phillips (Man City to West Ham United), Sergio Reguilón (Spurs to Brentford ), Goncalo. Guedes (Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villarreal), Ben Brereton Díaz (Villarreal at Sheffield United) and David Datro Fofana (Chelsea at Burnley.)

So, with about a day to go, here's what you need to know about Europe's top leagues in our guide to what could happen on Thursday's deadline day.

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premier league

Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna are the big players to watch on deadline day, with Premier League moves still possible for both.

Despite Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino repeatedly emphasizing the importance of England midfielder Gallagher to his plans at Stamford Bridge, the 23-year-old has just 18 months left on his contract and could be dismissed of his duties because, as an academy product, all transfer fees are considered. as pure profit in Chelsea's financial figures – a reality that would make it easier for the club to balance its books and avoid breaching profitability and sustainability rules.

Tottenham are interested in Gallagher, whose move is valued at £50 million by Chelsea, but the player has remained tight-lipped this month, choosing not to push for a move or express his desire to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Striker Armando Broja, another player from Chelsea's academy, is linked with Aston Villa, Fulham and Wolves. Any interested club can loan him out, but will also have to find £50million for the 22-year-old, who is under contract until 2028, if they want a permanent deal.

Nottingham Forest are favorites to sign USMNT international Reyna on loan from Dortmund, sources have told ESPN, but they face competition from Fiorentina and Marseille for the 21-year-old.

Aston Villa could strengthen their attacking options with the transfer of Middlesbrough star Morgan Rogers, 21. Villa reportedly had a third £7.5 million bid rejected by Boro earlier this week, but the Championship side will struggle to hold on to the winger.

Although big clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are in need of attacking reinforcements, the likelihood of signing a major deal at any of these teams is low. Liverpool and Manchester City should not do any business.

Brentford's Ivan Toney was expected to be the biggest transfer target in January, but after returning from an eight-month ban for breaking betting rules earlier this month, the The 27-year-old has played down the prospect of an £80million move this window. . Brentford head coach Thomas Frank also said Toney would stay until the end of the season.

Newcastle United may have a busy day in terms of deadline day, but mainly in terms of player retention. They have resisted Bayern Munich's attempts to sign defender Kieran Trippier, but have yet to completely fend off Saudi Arabia's interest in Miguel Almirón and Paris Saint-Germain's long-standing desire to sign the midfielder. Bruno Guimarães field. But with Eddie Howe's side still in the FA Cup and with no hope of finishing in the top four, major exits from St James' Park are unlikely. -Mark Ogden

The league

The transfer window is set to close in La Liga without a late flurry of deals at Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Madrid have been hit hard by long-term injuries in defense, but they resisted the urge to make short-term signings this month.

Barca have also had their share of injuries and, in an ideal world, would strengthen their squad this week. They have already signed Vitor Roque and, if they could pick up an additional signing, they would love to add a midfielder to replace the energy and intensity lost when Gavi was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury. ACL tear.

With the club exceeding La Liga's spending limit for the campaign, the chances of further additions looked extremely low. However, it was Gavi's injury that created space in the budget to complete the Roque deal early. And with Alejandro Balde now ruled out for the rest of the season, his salary can be removed from the calculation, giving Barca some room to consider cheap options in the short term.

That said, the Catalan club hope to soon announce a €7 million deal to sign young Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall from Djurgårdens ahead of next season.

It has also been a quiet January for Girona so far, although La Liga's surprise leaders are still exploring their options before the window closes. Coach Míchel would like to have an extra central defender and midfielder to help them win the title, but explained that he only wanted to bring in “long-term options. He does not want to turn to the market for its own sake.

Celta Vigo's Fran Beltrán, Mallorca's Sergi Darder and Celtic's Matt O'Riley have been identified as possible targets to strengthen in midfield.

Atlético Madrid completes the top four in Spain and was active until the deadline. However, Moise Kean's arrival from Juventus has declined due to discrepancies in his medical, with Atlético unlikely to pursue another striker as Ángel Correa is expected to stay for the time being despite interest from the Saudi Arabia and Memphis Depay is fit again.

Atlético are considering signing Gabriel Paulista from Valencia in an attempt to strengthen their defensive line following the departure of Caglar Söyüncü on loan to Fenerbahçe and the injury of José María Giménez. -Sam Marsden

The rest of Europe

As in England and Spain, the transfer window was calm in the Bundesliga and Serie A, but slightly livelier in Ligue 1.

Lyon have been busy (recruiting Nemanja Matic, Gift Orban and Malick Fofana) and are still looking for another midfielder, such as Nottingham Forest's Orel Mangala, as they close in on West Ham's Saïd Benrahma and are also trying to sign Everton winger Arnaut. Danjuma.

Don't expect anything from championship leaders PSG, but things could get interesting in Marseille. OM need a little money after recruiting four players (Jean Onana, Ulisses Garcia, Quentin Merlin and Faris Moumbagna). Vitinha could therefore leave for Genoa or Bologna, while Pape Gueye and Jonathan Clauss are also on the transfer list. Dortmund star Reyna is still a target, as is Benrahma if he doesn't join Lyon.

In Italy, there is not expected to be much movement at Juventus, Inter Milan or AC Milan, although Southampton's Carlos Alcaraz is expected to be loaned to Turin and Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah is on the list. shortlist of Milan, Juve and AS Roma. Jonathan Ikoné, the Fiorentina winger, is also followed by the big Italian clubs. But the most activity could come from the smaller teams like Genoa, Bologna, Udinese or Sassuolo who are all preparing for an eventful day.

In Germany, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are done with their business.

The biggest transfer that could happen is to Eintracht Frankfurt or VfL Wolfsburg, who are both trying to secure a loan deal for out-of-favour PSG striker Hugo Ekitike. RB Leipzig have lost Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg and Angeliño and must therefore recruit to keep their top four prospects alive. SC Freiburg are interested in Quito talent Óscar Zambrano, while VfB Stuttgart are looking for former Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic. Everything could be very busy. –Julien Laurens