Wednesday promises to be the most manic deadline day in the history of the English top-flight!
(L-R) Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Chelsea defender David Luis and Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud (Photos: AFP)
The winter transfer window’s deadline day is finally here and Premier League clubs are braced for a flurry of activity as some big names are expected to jump ship, for a multitude of reasons, on January 31.
Here are the six biggest transfers expected to go down in the English top-flight on Wednesday:
The Gabonese international is on the verge of securing a move to North London, with pictures of him reaching Dortmund’s airport common knowledge now.
Advertisement
According to several reports, the 28-year-old has agreed a three-and-a-half season deal worth a £180,000 per week (Best-paid player in the history of the club) with the North Londoners as he looks set to bring his turbulent time in Germany to an end.
Normally the pacey striker would have been on a no-sale list, but after repeated indiscretions, Die Borussen’s management seem to have tired of the antics and are eager to offload a player who’s been undoubtedly been a proven goalscorer in Germany and is expected to light up the Premier League.
Alexis Sanchez’s departure to Manchester United has left a gaping hole in Arsenal’s attack and the Gunners are desperate to add the African striker, who is reportedly quicker than Usain Bolt over 30 metres, to their squad without any further delay.
His reunion with former Dortmund teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan has sent Gunners faithful into raptures as they await a club announcement on Wednesday.
However, the transfer isn’t as clear-cut as it seems for the second and equally crucial part of this saga is listed below.
Since Michy Batshuayi has failed to nail-down a regular starting spot under Antonio Conte at Chelsea, the 24-year-old Belgian striker is primed to jet across the English Channel to Dortmund to replace their wantaway African.
For while Die Borussen are willing to accept an offer from Arsenal for Aubameyang, they are adamant that they will not let him go until a replacement striker is signed.
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, Batshuayi is said to be keen for more starts and with Alvaro Morata clearly the No.1 striker at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian is in serious danger of missing out on Roberto Martinez’s squad for Russia.
Contingent on the Aubameyang deal going through, which it should, Batshuayi is set to depart West London after an underwhelming one-and-half seasons with the Blues.
A loan deal, not a permanent one, is expected to be signed, with the 24-year-old set to seek a transfer in the summer, but there’s still a few twists in the Aubameyang-Batshuayi saga left…
Considering the embarrassment of riches France possess in attack, it’s not a surprise Olivier Giroud is eager to move elsewhere in a bid to stake a claim for his spot in Didier Deschamps’ squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Alexandre Lacazette’s arrival in the summer was effectively the beginning of the end for Giroud’s tryst with Arsenal and the 6’4 striker wants to move to place where he’s seen as more than just a super-sub.
Considering Alvaro Morata is Chelsea’s club-record signing, Giroud’s move to their crosstown rivals may seem strange but the fact that Antonio Conte’s men have been desperate to sign a big target man would suggest that the 31-year-old will get more minutes than Batshuayi did.
Initially, Arsenal offered Giroud to Dortmund as a cash-plus-player deal, but the German giants weren’t interested in the lanky Frenchman, perhaps feeling his lack of mobility would not fit in with their counter-attacking style of play.
Enter Batshuayi, who is eager to move on from West London and with Chelsea’s pursuit of Edin Dzeko proving to be fruitless, Giroud has been offered to the Blues and providing all the other moves go through, the Frenchman could be a Blues player come Thursday.
However, if you thought that this merry go round was completed with Giroud, you were sorely mistaken as certain Brazilian has been offered to the Gunners as a part of a swap deal for their French forward by the Blues.
After falling behind Andreas Christensen in the pecking order and having a very public falling-out with Antonio Conte, David Luiz has been offered to Arsenal as a part of a swap deal for Olivier Gioud.
The Brazilian, in his second stint with the Blues, is something of a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, but at 30, he’s not getting any younger and with Arsenal in dire need of a leader at the back, this move isn’t as silly as previously thought.
Considering the complicated nature of the aforementioned deals, this one could still fall though if Arsenal or Dortmund throw a spanner in the works, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
With Per Mertesacker retiring at the end of the season, Rob Holding still lacking top-flight experience, Shkodran Mustafi not consistent enough, Luiz’s arrival will definitely reinforce their at-times suspect backline.
At the very least, the likeable Brazilian will liven things up at the Emirates!
After losing out to Manchester United over Alexis Sanchez and Leroy Sane’s ankle injury, Manchester City have made a late bid for Leicester City wideman Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian winger, who has been revitalised under Claude Puel this season, has reportedly handed in a transfer request and has effectively downed tools in order to force a move to the Premier League leaders.
City made an initial bid of £50 million, which was rejected by the Foxes, who are said to be demanding a fee close to £100 million.
Considering the nature of the market, that’s not an insane figure , but will City part with such an enormous fee barely a week after saying Sanchez was too expensive for them to afford.
Pep Guardiola’s men are in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple and while they certainly possess enough quality, injuries to Sane and Gabriel Jesus have them looking a little bare in the attacking department.
This deal could still go down, with Leicester perhaps inclined to accept an offer of around £75 million and it’s down to City to decide if they want to burn a hole in their pockets for a squad-player, albeit a supremely talented one.
Lucas Moura was, in 2013, coveted by the biggest clubs in world football and despite interest from the Premier League, opted to move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The 25-year-old, despite being blessed with sizzling place, has not quite lived up the hype and with Les Parisiens boasting the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria, Moura’s found starts hard to come by.
Another player on the verge of missing out on the trip to Russia, the Brazilian is keen on moving to a club where the manager is renown for developing young talents into world beaters.
The chance to work with the dynamic Mauricio Pochettino, coupled with a chance to test himself in the highly-competitive environs of the Premier League have won over Moura and he’s widely expected to put pen to paper a long-term deal on Wednesday night.
Spurs, apart from Heung-Min Son, do not have a winger who has been consistent for the past few seasons and Moura’s arrival will inject pace into their attack as they seek to maintain their charge for the top-four, while continuing their run in the UEFA Champions League.
Advertisement
