Welcome to Sports Mole's live transfer blog on Monday, January 5.
We're five days into the winter window and speculation has intensified as football clubs consider strengthening their squads for the second half of the season.
Traditionally, clubs wait until the summer to try to lure big-name stars to them, but the likes of Mats Hummels, Wesley Sneijder and even Lionel Messi have been mentioned in the gossip pages.
Rest assured that we will keep you informed of any done deals or rumours as they emerge throughout the day.
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Good morning all! The Premier League heavyweights are yet to get involved in acquiring new faces, but there's plenty of time for business to be done as we enter the fifth day of the transfer window. Will Liverpool pay £3m to end Divock Origi's loan stint at Lille? Will Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder make the move to England? And will Louis van Gaal address Manchester United's defensive frailties in the next few weeks? Those questions are sure to be answered in the coming days.
It appears that Ched Evans's rumoured move to Oldham Athletic is in doubt. The 26-year-old has been searching for a club since being released from prison in October after serving half of a five-year sentence for rape. The League One club were due to announce the forward's arrival in a press conference today, but according to reports, that is now unlikely to go ahead.
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While we expect plenty of transfer news to filter through over the course of today, we've also rounded up all of the overnight headlines in our 8am update, which can be found here. Ross Barkley, Raphael Varane and Wilfried Bony are among the footballers being linked with moves this month.
Liverpool fans, if you've been reading recent reports you may be thinking that Divock Origi will arrive at Anfield this month from Lille, ahead of his scheduled summer move. However, the French club's director Jean-Michel Vandamme has been quoted as saying that a deal is unlikely to happen and that a €6m fee will only make the club consider releasing the striker early. Remember, Liverpool signed Origi back in the summer for £10m.
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Right, that's me done for the morning, but I shall leave you in the capable hands of my colleague Steven Toplis, who will update you with all of the latest transfer gossip over the next three hours. Enjoy!
Thanks Danielle! Arsenal are thought to be looking to add a centre-back to their squad this month and it appears that they have moved closer to doing just that. Saint-Etienne captain Loic Perrin says that he has spoken to the Gunners about a potential move to North London.
Reading manager Steve Clarke has said that Dutch midfielder Royston Drenthe is free to leave the club in January, with China reported to be his next destination.
Celtic defender Efe Ambrose has reportedly attracted interest from English sides, with Premier League strugglers Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers thought to be looking at the Nigeria international.
Some interesting news for West Ham United fans this morning. Sam Allardyce has said that he expects Winston Reid to leave the club at the end of the season, when his contract will expire. The defender has been linked with Arsenal recently, so could he now be on his way to the Emirates Stadium?
Former Manchester United boss David Moyes could return to the Premier League for his first signing as Real Sociedad manager. According to a report, the Scot wants to tie up a loan deal for Arsenal forward Joel Campbell.
That's all from me for now, but Jack Prescott will be here to keep you posted with all the big transfer stories this afternoon.
Hello there! Right, let's crack on with a bit of news regarding Tottenham Hotspur. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has recently been linked with a £25m move to Real Madrid, but the North-London club has reportedly dismissed the speculation surrounding the Frenchman's future.
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Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc has insisted that he wants to keep midfielder Adrien Rabiot at the club. The 19-year-old has recently been linked with a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Roma are also thought to be interested in his services.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have signed winger Jordan Graham from local rivals Aston Villa on a permanent deal. The 19-year-old has penned an 18-month contract following a loan spell at Molineux.
Aston Villa are reportedly preparing a January move for West Bromwich Albion youngster Adil Nabi. The 20-year-old is highly-rated at the Hawthorns, but his current deal expires at the end of this season and contract talks are said to have stalled in recent weeks.
Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has confirmed that the club is closing in on a loan move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Philipp Wollscheid. Terms have been agreed between the relevant parties following discussions over the Christmas period.
That's all from me for today, but I'm pleased to say that Liam Apicella will now be here until 5pm to guide you through all of the latest transfer news and gossip. Adios!
Thanks Jack and let's start with some breaking news, although it's not a transfer. There is going to be some changes at Norwich City as manager Neil Adams resigns. The story is developing here.
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Back in the Premier League, Roberto Martinez has moved to reassure Everton fans that the club will not be selling any of their star players this month. Ross Barkley in particular is said to be a target of numerous clubs, including champions Manchester City, but Martinez is determined to keep his squad intact.
Meanwhile, in League One, Colchester United manager Tony Humes is expecting to lose the services of Kaspars Gorkss shortly. The Latvian's contract with the Essex club is due to expire this week.
Scott Sinclair - remember him?! The winger has spent most of his time on the bench since joining Manchester City from Swansea City in 2012, but that could reportedly be about to change. To find out which Premier League side is said to be keen to sign the 25-year-old on a permanent basis, click here.
Staying with Man City, they could also reportedly lose the services of James Milner in the near future. The England international's contract is due to expire at the end of the season and so far no agreement over an extension has been reached. According to one source, Liverpool are the favourites to sign the 29-year-old.
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And how about another potential Man City exit?! They'll have no players left at this rate! Schalke 04 head coach Roberto Di Matteo has confirmed that he is eager to sign Matija Nastasic, who has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium. However, a number of other clubs are thought to be keen on the Serbian.
BREAKING NEWS! Not many people will have heard of Zach Clough before the weekend, but the youngster made a name for himself by scoring Bolton's winner against Wigan in the FA Cup. Such a performance has earned the 19-year-old a new deal at the Macron Stadium. More here.
UPDATE! More breaking news and this time it's from Oldham and their link with the convicted rapist Ched Evans. To find out what the League One club has had to say, click here.
And that is as far as I will take you for today, but fear not because I'll be passing you over to the safe hands of Matt Law. Over to you, Matt...
Hello! Thanks Liam. Matt here and I shall be with you for the next couple of hours. We are still waiting for the first really big move of the transfer window...
Right, not transfer news per se, but Carlos Puyol has announced his departure from Barcelona in light of the club's decision to sack Andoni Zubizarreta as sporting director. Puyol had been acting as assistant to Zubizarreta since the start of this season.
DONE DEAL! Lukas Podolski has joined Inter Milan on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season. More on that story can be found here.
A bit of news from Spain - Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde has admitted that "there might be some departures" this month. The club's Basque-only policy limits their options in the transfer market, but their manager expects players to seek pastures new in January.
DONE DEAL! Controversial Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa has joined Nice after leaving Newcastle United. More on that story can be found here.
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Inter Milan have confirmed that Lukas Podolski will wear the number 11 shirt for the Italian club this season. There is currently no word on whether the deal involves a possibility to buy the German at the end of the season.
Back in the Premier League - Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has confirmed that the club are preparing to offer Peter Crouch a new contract. The Englishman's current deal expires at the end of the season and he has been strongly linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion. However, Hughes has claimed that the 33-year-old striker will be offered a new deal "for the next two or three years".
Real Sociedad boss David Moyes has just told Sky Sports News: "I would like to add to the squad and the market I know better than others is the British market, but that's not to say we wouldn't look at players over here. I would like to add a couple in on loan if it could be done. I've got one or two people in mind but January is never a great time for transfers. Maybe there will be one or two players back home that would like the opportunity to come and play in Spain."
Want all of the latest transfer news in one handy article? Of course you do! Be sure to check out our evening Transfer Talk article here.
Right, that is just about it from me this evening, but be sure to remain with us as Alex leads you though the next few hours. Good evening!
Hello everyone! We may have a great FA Cup tie taking place this evening, but there is still plenty of transfer news and gossip. According to a report from America, Wigan could be set to make a move for Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell. It is believed that the former Aston Villa man could join on a short-term loan before the new MLS season gets underway in March.
Good evening! It was all quiet on the transfer front for a while, but there's a bit to chew on now as Spurs reportedly prepare a £3m bid for Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph. More on that here.
Let's go continental for a second and it appears as if there's some substance to reports that Juventus want Galatasaray ace Wesley Sneijder, with head coach Massimiliano Allegri confirming an interest in the former Inter Milan midfielder.
Aaaaaaaaaaand back to England (or Wales perhaps) and it has been reported that Wilfried Bony has told Swansea City that he wants to join a Champions League club this month. There's a little more on that here.
Are you a Chelsea fan that loves tenuous links to players? If so, this story is for you because none other than Lionel Messi has started following your club - along with Thibaut Courtois and Filipe Luis - on Instagram! More can be found here.
Anywho, that just about does her tonight, my friends. We're live again from 7 am so tune in later on today to read the latest gossip from the rumour mill. Goodnight and god bless.
