Liverpool DEVASTATE Man Utd, Barca’s Olmo BLOW, Chelsea transfer ADMISSION – FootballTransfers Recap

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 4 Jan 2025 16:01 CST
• 5 min read

The January transfer window might not have produced a big deal yet, but there’s no shortage of drama, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea at the heart of matters.

Liverpool green light Chiesa deal to destroy Man Utd dream

Liverpool are open to accepting a loan offer from Napoli for Federico Chiesa, according to FootMercato.

The Italy international’s wages initially seemed a stumbling block, but this issue appears to have been resolved and the Serie A club are now poised to make an offer after getting the thumbs up from head coach Antonio Conte.

This represents a huge blow for Manchester United, who had been eager to use Marcus Rashford as leverage to sign Victor Osimhen from the Naples side.

With Chiesa occupying that role in their attacking midfield sector, they have no need to move for Rashford before the summer.

Amorim close to first signing

Man Utd are set to land their first signing under Ruben Amorim, with Diego Leon set to complete his medical in a matter of days.

Journalist Bruno Pont has posted the following on X: "Speaking to Renato Bittar, he confirmed that in the next few days, he and Diego Leon will travel to Manchester, where the player will undergo medical tests."

Leon will hook up with the club in the summer, with the Cerro Porteno youngster only turning 18 in April, making a move impossible before then.

Barcelona’s latest Olmo appeal rejected

Barcelona’s saga to have Dani Olmo registered with the club for the second half of the season is ongoing, with Joan Laporta’s side suffering a new setback on Saturday.

LaLiga and the Spanish federation, the RFEF, have officially rejected their request to register the former RB Leipzig player, despite the Catalans claiming to have found the funding to push the move through.

These funds, however, arrived after the 31 December deadline.

Barcelona have confirmed that they will take the matter all the way to the courts, with the prospect of losing €168m on the deal if they are unsuccessful.

Current ETV

Dani Olmo

M (C)

Barcelona

Dani Olmo

M (C)

Barcelona

€47.3M

ETV Range

€35.5M - €59.2M

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Maresca drops Chelsea transfer hint

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has suggested where he would like any transfer funds made available for him this month spent.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Italian indicated that injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile mean that he wants another centre-back, despite the fine form of Josh Acheampong.

“Even if we don't decide to buy players or sell players, we already knew Josh was good enough. But with Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana's injuries, we will see if something can happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Blues have made a decision on former player Fiyako Tomori, who Juventus are poised to bid for, while they have been advised by Palace boss Oliver Glasner to leave Trevoh Chalobah on loan with the Selhurst Park side.

Arsenal told to break bank for Kudus

West Ham United have told Arsenal that if they are to sign Mohammed Kudus during January, they will have to match their transfer record in order to do so.

The Hammers have told Mikel Arteta’s side that they will not accept anything less than €120 million for Kudus – approximately the same fee they paid for Declan Rice.

Arsenal’s interest in a versatile attacking midfielder has stepped up following an injury to Bukayo Saka that is set to sideline him for at least two months.

Kylian Mbappe: Club owner under fire

Kylian Mbappe is finding out what it’s like to be the owner of a club, with Ligue 2 side SM Caen, which he bought in the summer, struggling in the second tier.

After appointing an unknown manager in place of club legend Nicolas Seube over the winter break, fans did not hold back their disapproval as they slumped to a 1-0 home loss against Clermont.