With more than 200 million euros invested in January, Chelsea multiplied to strengthen themselves and intimidate their competitors… Until the last hours of the transfer window on Tuesday, the Blues tried to enlist world champion Enzo Fernandez, while in Italy the market closed.
– England: Chelsea disgusts the competition, Ronaldo leaves –
At tens of millions of pounds, Chelsea have been by far the most active European team during the winter window.
The most striking example is the way in which the Blues “stealed” the Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk under the noses of Arsenal by agreeing to pay without hesitation the 100 million euros demanded by Shakhtar Donetsk.
Benoît Badiashile, Joao Felix (on loan), Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto (on loan to Lyon until June), have been added to the list of transfer compensation paid by Todd Boehly’s club, up to around 200 million euros. The Blues even seemed ready, Tuesday evening, for a final big purchase at more than 100 M EUR, the Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernandez (Benfica) … Without success in the middle of the evening.
Premier League leader Arsenal has expanded its squad with Polish defender Jakub Kiwior, Belgian winger Leandro Trossard, and Italian European champion Jorginho, snatched from Chelsea on the gong.
Elsewhere in England, Manchester City passed, Liverpool snapped up Dutch striker Cody Gakpo for €60m (bonus included), Newcastle dropped €45m for promising Anthony Gordon from Everton and Manchester United have signed Dutch striker Wout Weghorst to try to fill a big void: the one left by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar (37), released by the Red Devils after a final stroke of blood, was finally recruited at a high price by the Saudi club Al-Nassr on December 30.
– Spain: Atlético active, Real and Barça discreet –
In Spain, paradoxically, the two behemoths Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have remained rather discreet.
The biggest blow is the work of Atlético Madrid: the Colchoneros signed Dutch striker Memphis Depay, whose contract at Barça expired at the end of June, for only 3 million euros.
– Italy: Skriniar and Inter deadlocked?
At 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the Italian market closed in the direction of arrivals … And Inter Milan have still not announced a recruit for the position of defender, which could have paved the way for a departure from Milan Skriniar to Paris SG.
The solid Slovak defender of Inter Milan, at the end of the contract in June, was hoped for in Paris in the winter, but the Nerazzurro club seems to want to retain him and not let him go to France until the end of the season, fault replacement found in time.
“He made a choice (to leave free in June), which is in his right, and we have a duty to respect it”, underlined the managing director of Inter Giuseppe Marotta at the microphone of Mediaset.
Udinese for its part formalized on Tuesday the arrival of Florian Thauvin, 30, whose contract had been terminated with the Mexican club Monterrey Tigers.
– Germany: Bayern replace their injured –
Weakened by injuries, Bayern had to get busy on the transfer market to make up for the absences of their captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (fractured right leg) and defender Lucas Hernandez (rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee), absent at least until the end of the season.
In goal, Bayern recruited Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer for 8 million euros, plus a million and a half euros in bonuses.
In defense, the Dutchman Daley Blind (32), free, signed until the end of the season, and the Bavarians also obtained on Tuesday the loan with the option to buy the Portuguese side of Manchester City Joao Cancelo in the perspective of the shock against Paris SG in the knockout stages of the Champions League (February 14 and March 8).
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