5 transfers to watch out for before deadline day | OneFootball

As we enter the final week of the transfer window, clubs continue to work hard to finalise deals to strengthen their squads.

Manchester City have been proactive in their January with the recruitment of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis for a combined fee around £130m while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has swapped Napoli for Paris-Saint Germain. Milan are also working on completing a deal for Kyle Walker, but there’s plenty of other transfers to keep an eye on.

At Get Football, we take a look at five of them.

Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) to Barcelona/Borussia Dortmund/Milan

For some time, Borussia Dortmund appeared to be in pole position to sign Marcus Rashford with the Bundesliga side aiming to secure a loan deal before the end of the week. But the sacking of head coach Nuri Sahin appears to have put a halt to those plans. The Englishman’s wages appeared to be the only stumbling block but BVB were confident in his signature.

With more pressing matters to attend than strengthen their wide areas, Dortmund’s pursuit of Rashford was an odd one. As reported by our colleagues at Get Italian Football News, Milan also showed significant interest, which also seems to have evaporated.

And now MEN report that Barcelona have emerged as favourites to sign Rashford. But they must sell to make room for the 27-year-old and despite Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati being placed on the transfer list, Hansi Flick has reportedly changed his mind on Garcia. With no space in their squad and Rashford seemingly on his way out, who knows where he will end up.

Jota (Rennes) to Celtic

Celtic are closing in on the signing of Jota, as reported via Get French Football News. The Portuguese winger only joined the Ligue 1 side last summer in an €8m deal from Al-Ittihad, but is no longer a part of Jorge Sampaoli’s plans, Julien Stéphan’s successor.

With Kyogo Furuhashi likely heading in the opposite direction for a reported £10m, this paves the way for Jota’s return to Celtic, where he scored 28 goals and created 26 in 86 appearances for the Bhoys between 2022 and 2023.

Brian Brobbey (Ajax)/André Silva (RB Leipzig) to West Ham

Taking charge of West Ham on January 9 with the club sitting 14th in the Premier League, Graham Potter has a huge task on his hands. Replacing Julen Lopetegui, Potter aims to strengthen the club’s attack with the signing of RB Leipzig’s André Silva. The Portuguese striker is the Hammers’ number one target after several attempts to sign Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran were rebuffed.

Although advanced talks are ongoing, West Ham have also identified Ajax’s Brian Brobbey as a candidate to lead their attack. The 22-year-old has struggled for Ajax this season, scoring three and creating seven in 29 games across all competitions. With a market value of €30m, per Transfermarkt, it’s unclear as to how much West Ham would have to fork out but it’s certain that they will strengthen their attack before next week’s deadline.

Patrick Dorgu (Lecce) to Manchester United

Manchester United face competition from Napoli and Juventus to sign Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu, but a move to the Premier League side appears to be evolving very quickly. As reported via GIFN, the Denmark international, who is a left-back or a left wing-back by trade, has shown enough over the season to be treated as an incredibly versatile talent who has carried Lecce’s attack on his shoulders many times.

United have already had an offer of €30m rejected for Dorgu but with a complete overhaul needed at the club, Ruben Amorim’s side will have to spend big to get their man. One potential stumbling block is that Napoli would allow the left-sided player to be loaned back to Lecce for the remainder of the season.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) to Borussia Dortmund

Once a mainstay in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Oleksandr Zinchenko has since found himself on the fringes following the arrivals of Jurriën Timber and Riccardo Calafiori. With just 408 minutes played across all competitions this season, the Ukrainian would be open to leaving Arsenal, as reported via GGFN, with the North London club willing to allow Zinchenko to leave on loan with an obligation to buy for around €20m.

Although talks with the player’s entourage have already taken place, a move for Zinchenko could materialise in the final week should Juventus push through a move to sign Chelsea’s Renato Veiga, another player whom BVB had shown concrete interest in.

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