Manchester City's Egyptian striker #07 Omar Marmoush. AFP
Deals to look out for
Aston Villa has been busy during the window — and might not be finished.
After selling Jhon Duran to a Saudi club and signing Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United, Villa could go back into the market for another attacker and has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Asensio.
There’s still some doubt over the future of Villa’s star striker, Ollie Watkins. The England international is reportedly a target of Arsenal, which is looking to boost its attack to strengthen its latest Premier League title challenge.
Arsenal has also been linked with a move for Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel, as has Man United.
Man City goes big to salvage season
In a bid to rescue a campaign that lurched into crisis at the end of 2024 and was derailed again in a 5-1 loss at Arsenal, Manchester City took the usual step of splashing out in January, spending around $150 million on three new signings to strengthen its squad.
In came Egypt forward Omar Marmoush for $73 million and defenders Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and Vitor Reis for a combined $77 million. Christian McFarlane, an 18-year-old left back, also joined from sister club New York City FC. More could join on Monday, with City desperately in need of an energetic midfielder.
A record-extending fifth consecutive Premier League title looks well beyond City and a Champions League bid was made extra difficult after being drawn against holder Real Madrid in the playoff. But City manager Pep Guardiola will hope the new additions can turn the season around.
PSG re-enters the ‘galactico’ market
Paris Saint-Germain has lost much of its star appeal in recent years following the departures of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. A shift in strategy has seen the Qatar-backed club focus more on younger and French talents, rather than superstar names.
But the signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli for a reported fee of around $72 million represents another marquee signing.
The Georgia forward might not be on the level of Messi and Neymar stardom, but he has long been among the most sought-after players in Europe with thrilling, match-winning qualities.
PSG has offloaded two players who came in for big fees, with striker Randal Kolo Muani — a $101 million signing last season — joining Juventus on loan and central defender Milan Skriniar heading to Fenerbahce.
Saudi recruitment stalls?
Neymar’s high-profile move to Saudi Arabia was cut short last week when the Brazil great’s contract was terminated by Al-Hilal and he left for boyhood club Santos.
Along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, the former Barcelona and PSG superstar was a standout signing as Saudi Arabia launched a recruitment drive to lure the world’s top players. But injury meant Neymar was reduced to seven games for Al-Hilal following his 2023 move for a reported $98 million and his departure brought an underwhelming end to his time in the kingdom.
Previously, Jordan Henderson left Al-Ettifaq after just six months to join Ajax and Portuguese forward Jota spent a year at Al-Ittihad before leaving for French team Rennes. Jota rejoined Celtic during this window.
The big signing for the Saudi league during this window was Duran, the Colombia striker who joined Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr from Villa for a reported 64 million pounds ($80 million).
Perhaps bigger is to come in the future, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah out of contract at the end of the season and repeatedly linked with a move.
Major moves in women’s soccer
The deals are getting bigger in women’s soccer.
U.S. defender Naomi Girma became the first million-dollar player in the women’s game when she moved from San Diego Wave to Chelsea, which also spent big to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the Women’s Super League from Barcelona.
The deadline for the women’s game passed last week.
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