Deadline day LIVE! Follow every transfer rumour and done deal across England and Europe
Welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of summer 2024 transfer deadline day!
Stick with us to follow every twist, turn, done deal and rumour throughout England and Europe as clubs race to get their final pieces of business done before the window slams shut.
The deadline for English deals to go through is 11pm tonight, and some major moves are still expected to take place before that with plenty of big clubs seeking reinforcements or looking to offload players, and many big names expected to be part of that.
Deadline day key events
New Year, new club: Arsenal confirm first transfer of January window
Arsenal have confirmed their first exit of the January transfer window, as 20-year-old right-back Josh Robinson has left for Wigan Athletic on a permanent deal.
Robinson had been on the Hale End books since the age of 11 and signed a professional deal with the Gunners in the summer of 2023 after shining at Under-18 level.
The 20-year-old has made Mikel Arteta's bench on four occasions in the Champions League this season, most recently being an unused substitute in the Gunners' 3-0 win over Monaco on December 11.
However, Robinson never made a competitive appearance for the Arsenal first team, and the 2004-born defender is the first out of the Emirates exit door this month, signing a three-and-a-half year contract with Wigan.
Amorim connection: Man United must move for Sporting wonderkid in 2025
Much of the post-match talk after Sporting Lisbon's 4-1 win over Manchester City in the Champions League on November 5 was about Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese, at the time, preparing to take charge of Manchester United.
Amorim masterminded Sporting's success over the Premier League champions, while Viktor Gyokeres - Europe's most in-demand striker - also took plenty of the headlines, having come up with a hat trick against Pep Guardiola's side.
The performance of a certain Geovany Quenda went under the radar, but the outstanding 17-year-old was vital to Sporting's statement win, putting in an eye-catching display as the right-sided wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation.
Quenda provided the assist for Gyokeres to make it 1-1, with the teenager delivering a wonderful pass into his teammate, who broke into the penalty box before lifting the ball over the onrushing Ederson.
January exit? Struggling Man United forward 'wanted' by Juventus, Napoli
Juventus and Napoli are reportedly both interested in signing Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee during the January transfer window.
The Netherlands international has found it difficult to make his mark at Man United in the first half of the 2024-25 campaign, only managing four goals and two assists in 27 appearances in all competitions.
Zirkzee started against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday night but only lasted 33 minutes, with Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim making a change due to the team's struggles.
The 23-year-old's substitution was widely celebrated by the Man United fans, which led to him going straight down the tunnel, although the striker did later sit on the bench alongside his teammates.
Big-money arrival? Man United 'scout Porto star' as club's priority 'becomes clear'
Manchester United reportedly scouted the in-form Samu Aghehowa against Boavista last weekend, with the Porto striker scoring twice in his side's 4-0 success in Portugal's top flight.
The 20-year-old has been in excellent form for his Portuguese club during the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 18 goals and registering two assists in 21 appearances in all competitions.
Samu was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea over the summer when it became clear that he would be leaving Atletico Madrid, but a proposed switch to Stamford Bridge ultimately fell through.
Porto won the race for his signature, and the forward has scored 13 times in 13 league appearances this season, in addition to finding the back of the net on five occasions in six outings in the Europa League.
Amorim 'facing difficult reality' as Man United's January situation is 'revealed'
Manchester United reportedly have 'no budget' for the January transfer window and will be unable to give their squad a much-needed boost unless there are some significant outgoings during the winter market.
The Red Devils have had a disastrous first half of the 2024-25 campaign, sitting down in 14th spot in the Premier League table, only picking up 22 points from their 19 matches, which has left them just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Man United have suffered four straight defeats - the last of those being a 2-0 reverse to Newcastle United on December 30, with the team failing to win since the Manchester derby in the middle of December.
Head coach Ruben Amorim is believed to want to add a left-back and striker to his squad in January, but according to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils have 'no budget' for this month.
The 10 most expensive defenders of all time
Defence may win titles if the age-old cliche is to be believed, but no rearguard stopper has ever surpassed the £100m transfer figure, which is less than can be said for midfield enforcers and dazzling attackers.
However, the demands of a modern defender are arguably greater than ever before; right-backs and left-backs have to be equally competent both on the wing and in hybrid midfield positions, while the best centre-backs must excel with the ball at their feet.
Simply hacking the danger clear or keeping the man you are marking in check does not suffice in the modern game anymore, and while there is still room for a traditional no-nonsense defender, managers these days often look for something different.
Those perfect centre-backs or full-backs can still be a rare breed, though, and when one is found, clubs often have no qualms about paying over the odds, to varying degrees of success.
Most expensive Premier League departures of all time
The New Year may mark the beginning of a new era for several players, as the January transfer window is officially open for business once again.
Always a notoriously difficult market to navigate, clubs hoping to strengthen their ranks in the mid-season window are often met with stiff resistance from fellow teams either competing for top honours or scrapping in the relegation dogfight.
When financial constraints are also factored into the equation, short-term loan deals and the odd free agent pick-up tend to be the route that some clubs go down, before going gung-ho for their main targets when the summer window rolls around.
That is not to say that big-money moves are totally off the table, though, as agents of players who only find themselves on the fringes of the first team will be working around the clock to find a viable next destination for their client.
The January window is open! Latest news and rumours including Tomori to Newcastle
Newcastle United are believed to be in a 'strong position' to seal the signature of AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori in the January transfer window.
The Magpies have been working without long-term knee victims Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles for several months, but they are still making a push for Champions League football as they lie fifth in the Premier League standings.
Lascelles and Botman are both expected back within a few weeks, but Eddie Howe's side are still being tipped to strengthen their backline in January, even if Profit and Sustainability Regulations slightly inhibit their spending.
According to CaughtOffside, Newcastle are currently at the head of the queue to sign ex-Chelsea man Tomori, who has slipped down the pecking order at San Siro, starting just six Serie A games this term.
