Transfer news LIVE: Chelsea receive offer for Casadei, Liverpool reject Real Madrid approach for Alexander-Arnold – UK Times

Manchester United do not have the funds to buy players to strengthen their struggling team in the January transfer window.

Monday’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle was their fourth consecutive loss and left United marooned in 14th place in the Premier League, with new head coach Ruben Amorim warning a first relegation in 51 years could be a possibility.

But after spending more than £200m on summer signings and with very little leeway within Profitability & Sustainability Rules, United are unable to spend unless they sell.

United expect to have a turnover of between £650m and £670m for the financial year but have not managed to break even in recent seasons, making a £113m loss in the 2023-24 season.

Clubs are limited to losses of £105m over a three-year period to comply with PSR – though some spending on infrastructure, women’s football and other allowable costs are excluded from the calculations – and United are very close to their limit.

Good morning and welcome to 2025! The Premier League transfer window is officially open as we start the new year and two deals are already confirmed.

Tottenham Hotspur have already agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old winger Yang Min Hyeok, a South Korea youth international and arrives from Gangwon. Brighton and Hove Albion have announced midfielder Diego Gomez will sign from Inter Miami.

More on the way no doubt!

We’re nearly halfway through the 2024-25 Premier League season and the storylines are developing nicely at the top and bottom of the table. Although, depending on your perspective, or your team, they may not all be positive ones.

What is certain is that a handful of clubs will be hoping to improve their fortunes and their squads in January by delving into the market – and some might need to fare rather better in winter than they appear to have done in the summer with regards to transfers.

Here are the best and worst signings of the season so far, as picked by The Independent’s sports desk.

Thomas Partey is one of the Arsenal players currently set to see their contracts expire at the end of the season and despite being a regular starter, he has so far not been offered a new deal.

Mundo Deportivo say Barcelona are keen to sign the former Atletico Madrid midfielder, but they will only move for him on a free transfer rather than pay in January.

Partey would be a replacement for Frenkie de Jong if they can offload him, and the Ghana international is free to talk to overseas clubs in January.

The winter transfer window begins on 1 January, with clubs across Europe looking for value in a difficult market this month.

Injury crises, title challenges and relegation battles will force plenty of clubs into the market in early 2025, with plenty of eyes on the Premier League as clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester City look primed to make signings.

And across the continent, plenty of Europe’s in-form players are also being linked with moves, from Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres.

But who are the major players being tipped for moves, and where could they end up?

Liverpool are clear at the top of both Premier League and Champions League, with no immediate urgency to do any transfer business in January – despite only adding Federico Chiesa to the squad in summer.

Mail Online report it’s “unlikely” they’ll move for rumoured targets including Jeremie Frimpong and Omar Marmoush, instead opting to “hold their nerve this window” and spend January lining up targets for summer deals instead.

One or two loan exits are the only moves the club might make, the report claims.

As a sign of how constrained this January window might be, one mid-level Champions League club briefly considered whether a move for Marcus Rashford might be possible. There was a feeling his comments about leaving Manchester United could lead to a knock-down price… only for their interest to almost immediately be knocked down. The plan to try and enquire about a £30m deal didn’t even get off the ground.

The gap to what United would actually want, which is understood to be beyond £60m, shows how it might take an awful lot to get this market going. One circular problem sums up everything. Most Premier League clubs want to do significant business but PSR has left highly-paid squads with little headroom, and those in Europe just don’t have the money to spend. Many of the latter are still struggling after Covid, especially when the English competition so inflates the wage race. As a consequence, almost everyone needs to sell first, but there are few buyers to make that happen. That is the set-up for stagnation, and a market that simply won’t move.

Manchester United are a grand illustration of this, as virtually every player has to prove themselves to Ruben Amorim. The club leadership would like to immediately start a huge overhaul of their squad, but it is going to be more difficult than ever to move high-paid players on in a constricted market. United may have to take a wage hit on some loan deals, but the problem is that the club are at a point now where they want a properly clean slate. Temporary deals don’t quite cut it to do what they want to do.

Miguel Delaney’s deep dive on the January market:

All has not been well at Man City over winter and Pep Guardiola has acknowledged they must do some business if they can, saying even the current squad accept that new faces are one possible route to returning to winning ways.

“The transfer window in the winter is not easy but even the players know that we have to add some new players,” Guardiola said.

“After, when these players come and play in their positions, they are unhappy but we have a lot (of injuries) and this is a problem. But it’s about bringing a player for the next four or five years and we’ll have to see. Sometimes it is not easy but we have to try because this is sustained for a long time.”

Cesare Casadei is on the wishlist of Torino in Serie A, TalkSport report, and Chelsea are willing sellers.

They paid £16m for him 18 months ago but he has not been able to break into Enzo Maresca’s squad with any regularity.

Additionally, the same report says the Blues would allow Carney Chukwuemeka to leave if anyone is prepared to pay £40m for him. Given he has barely featured for them either this term – just five minutes – that seems a stretch.

Jorge Mendes has asked whether Ansu Fati would be leaving Barcelona on loan again but it seems the agent’s priority is for him to stay at the club right now.

“[That’s a] question for Barca but he has the level to play for them. He needs is confidence and to resolve his physical issues. Once he’s at 100%, Barca will need him. He’s a unique player,” he said, per Goal.com.

In Spanish media there have been varying suggestions he may leave, without any firm destinations named.