Fabrizio Romano’s Here We Go transfer notes: January window opens with Premier League giants active

The January transfer window is finally open and ahead of us are four mad weeks with many possible moves and updates as a ton important clubs remain active on the market.

After Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, the Premier League is ready to deliver the next big deals. Liverpool have already signed Cody Gakpo, which came as a bit of a surprise, and the focus now remains on a new midfielder for Jurgen Klopp.

As it stands, that midfielder will not be be Enzo Fernandez at his current asking price. Chelsea are in advanced negotiations to sign the Argentine star from Benfica as talks are open with the Portuguese club on different kinds of payment terms. The release clause is €120 million and while that is one obvious avenue to secure the deal, Chelsea are searching for conditions that might be a tad favorable. This week will be crucial to understand if the 2022 World Cup winner will really join Chelsea, but there’s no doubt on the player side that he wants the move to materialize.

Chelsea will also announce more signings in the next few days: Brazilian top talent Andrey Santos has completed medical tests in London ahead of €12.5 million move from Vasco da Gama to the Blues. He follows David Datro Fofana who joined Chelsea from Molde for €12 million. The big one is Benoit Badiashile, a new left-footed center back for Graham Potter as there’s a full agreement with AS Monaco for €38 million fee. Badiashile will sign a deal for six-and-a-half years with Chelsea after medical tests.

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Manchester United remain in contact with Jorge Mendes for Joao Felix waiting to understand Atletico Madrid‘s decision on the conditions of the deal, while talks will continue with Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot to offer them a new long-term contract. Arsenal focus is on the Mykhailo Mudryk deal. After the opening bid turned down for €40 million plus €20 million add-ons, Arsenal returned with an improved proposal as the player wants the move and he’s pushing to join the Gunners. Chelsea are in the background waiting in case this deal falls apart. 

Finally, we are waiting for Spanish clubs to move as Real Madrid and Barcelona are both quiet for January window, keep an eye on Manchester City building the future. After signing Julian Alvarez for less than €20 million one year ago, they will complete one more deal from Argentina as top talent Maximo Perrone from Vélez Sarsfield will join Manchester City for $8 million release clause to be triggered soon. One more for the future for Pep Guardiola.