Transfer news, rumours LIVE: Arsenal Aubameyang latest plus Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs
Latest transfer news plus gossip and rumours from the January window
The January transfer window is nearing its climax with Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and more expected to be busy before the deadline.
Alexis Sanchez is finally a Manchester United player and made his debut as his new side swept aside Yeovil on Friday night. Jose Mourinho isn't stopping there though with a new central midfielder now on his shopping list. Arsenal are bedding Henrikh Mkhitaryan in but Arsene Wenger is keen to add at least one more new face before the window shuts with deals for Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and West Brom's Jonny Evans set to go down to the wire.
Manchester City are closing in on a new central defender with Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte set to arrive imminently while Chelsea's search for a new striker continues with talks over Roma's Edin Dzeko ongoing. Could Arsenal's Olivier Giroud arrive instead before the month is out?
We will have all the latest news throughout the day right here.
Follow the latest in the live blog below...
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load...
Roma's Edin Dzeko will continue to feature in Eusebio Di Francesco’s side despite nearing a January switch to Premier League champions Chelsea.
Di Francesco has confirmed he has no plans to drop the forward amid uncertainty over the Bosnian's future at the Stadio Olimpico.
Speaking in the wake of Roma’s 1-1 with Sampdoria on Wednesday, the Italian praised Dzeko’s commitment to the cause and insisted the forward would remain in his starting XI until he leaves the club.
The key purchases at Manchester United are set to be in central midfield as Jose Mourinho seeks a long-term replacement for the retiring Michael Carrick and wants to boost his options.
Jean-Michel Seri of Nice has become the main target while Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred, a target of rivals City, is an option. United are also confident of doing a deal for 20-year-old Carlos Soler from Valencia, and Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl. The signing of Sanchez likely means they won’t pursue interest in Christian Pulisic as strongly.
The potential departure of Marouane Fellaini could well further influence things, but Mourinho may well go for another striker if the Belgian does leave. Fellaini is out of contract at the end of the season
Manchester City fans could be left shocked at the prospect of losing their star striker, Sergio Aguero.
The Sun reports that a possible deal may be in place to send the Argentinian back to Atletico Madrid in the summer.
While it would seem unlikely boss Pep Guardiola would want to lose the 29-year-old, the Spanish club are looking for someone to team up with Diego Costa, and Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann is on City's radar - setting up a possible switch, the paper says.
↵Liverpool have completed the signing of Falkirk youngster Tony Gallacher.
The Scotland youth international is a product of Falkirk’s academy and made 17 first-team appearances for the Scottish Championship club this season.
He joins the Reds' development squad.
Alexis Sanchez's defensive "fight" can set him apart at Manchester United, according to team-mate Ander Herrera.
Sanchez laid on two goals in a man-of-the-match debut as United coasted past Yeovil 4-0 at Huish Park on Friday, strolling into the FA Cup fifth round.
The Chile forward teed up Marcus Rashford and Herrera for goals, before Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku glossed the scoreline late on.
Allied to Sanchez's attacking prowess, Herrera believes the ex-Arsenal star's grit for teamwork will prove a huge asset to United.
↵
Benjamin Mendy is set for an imminent return from injury for Premier League leaders Manchester City, according to team-mate and 'doctor' Phil Foden.
Mendy, who joined City for a reported £49.4million deal from Monaco last summer, has been sidelined with a serious knee injury since September which was set to rule him out for the rest of the season, but Foden gave a positive update for the left-back.
City posted the video below where the France international filmed the 17-year-old giving him a prognosis of 'a couple weeks' until he can return to action.
Foden has been spending plenty of time in the treatment room himself having been sidelined with ankle ligament damage since December, but there are still questions about his knowledge of medical science so Mendy may want to seek a second opinion.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he is "still handsome" after his face was left covered in blood from being kicked in the face against Deportivo La Coruna last week and declared he wants to remain at Real Madrid despite suggestions that he is unhappy in Spain.
The image-conscious Portuguese was seen checking his blood-drenched face on the mobile phone of a club doctor as he left the pitch injured last Sunday following the clash and he required three stitches above the eye.
"Players often hit me in games because they have to stop me but this time I wasn't so lucky," Ronaldo said.
"Now I feel better, I am still happy, I am still handsome and my vision is as clear as before so there's no problem."
Michael Carrick says new signing Alexis Sanchez is already a "proper Manchester United player".
"He is not bad, is he? Not bad for a little man," he said. "He is going to be a terrific player. He is a proper Manchester United player and it's great to have him here. He is so exciting and so dynamic.
"He's always looking to create opportunities, to play forward, and the fans are going to enjoy watching him.
"Hopefully, we will enjoy playing with him."
New signing Fousseni Diabate and Kelechi Iheanacho both struck twice as Leicester reached the FA Cup fifth round with a 5-1 win at Peterborough.
Onyinye Ndidi also got on the scoresheet in the latter stages as Claude Puel's side brushed aside their League One opponents at the ABAX Stadium.
Diabate made an instant debut impression by opening the scoring after just nine minutes and Iheanacho, who also grabbed a double against Fleetwood the third round, added two more before the interval.
Andrew Hughes shot through a crowded area to give Posh a glimmer of hope just before the hour but Diabate and Ndidi put the gloss on Leicester's performance in the closing minutes.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back for Borussia Dortmund today for the game with Freiburg despite being linked with a big-money move to Arsenal.
The 28-year-old forward, who was left out of games against Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg, has been brought back in after what coach Peter Stoeger described as "a very concentrated and professional" week of training.
Aubameyang was initially dropped as a disciplinary measure, the third time the Gabonese striker had been sanctioned by the club in a little more than a year.
Dortmund director Michael Zorc says a transfer may yet happen if the club's conditions are met.
Zorc says: "Either our demands are met and there can still be a transfer. Or they are not and Auba will play with us until the summer. That's how it is also with the Aubameyang family, discussed and accepted."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies