FINAL 48 HOURS: TRANSFER WINDOW LIVE! MAN CITY TO TRIGGER ANTOINE SEMENYO’S RELEASE CLAUSE

Man City are set to trigger Antoine Semenyo’s £65m clause. Discover the latest on Marc Guehi, Joshua Zirkzee, and Kobbie Mainoo.

Final 48 Hours: Transfer Window Live! Man City To Trigger Antoine Semenyo’s Release Clause
The January Window Opens soon

Alright, so the January transfer window's almost here, and it could really shake things up in the Premier League, both for the title race and for avoiding relegation. Teams might buy new players to push for the title or just to survive.

This year, the window's open from January 1st to February 2nd at 7pm, so there's plenty of time for deals to happen. Some transfers have been planned for a while, but others will probably pop up at the last minute.

Last year, Premier League teams spent a total of £370 million in January, with Man City spending over half of it (£190m) on Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Nico Gonzalez. But that's nothing compared to January 2023, when a record £815 million was spent!

As always, you can keep up with all the goings-on on the Mirror Football live transfer blog. But here are some possible transfers to watch out for:

Antoine Semenyo to Man City

This one looks pretty certain. Bournemouth are willing to sell Semenyo, and everyone knows about his £65m release clause. Plus, the Ghana international has made it clear he wants to join City after playing really well recently.

Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea were also interested in Semenyo, but they've backed off since City started talking to him. The talks are going well, and the 25-year-old is expected to join City in early January, after scoring eight goals in 16 league games.

Marc Guehi to Liverpool

This deal seemed like a done thing in the summer. Guehi even had a medical to move from Crystal Palace to Liverpool for £35m, but then the Palace chairman, Steve Parish, stopped it at the last second. But the Palace captain's contract ends in June, and the club has accepted he'll probably leave.

The only questions are where and when. Arne Slot said before that Liverpool wouldn't try to get Guehi in January, but Giovanni Leoni's ACL injury, Ibrahima Konate's inconsistent play, and interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich could change their minds. The England defender wants to move to Liverpool, but Palace wants to keep him until the end of the season.

Joshua Zirkzee to Roma

Zirkzee hasn't been great since joining Manchester United from Bologna in the summer of 2024 for £36.5m, and now he might leave. Roma's sporting director, Ricky Massara, was in London in December to talk about it, and United are willing to sell, but only if they get the right price, since Ruben Amorim's squad is already thin.

United will sell for around €35-40m (£30-35m), since the 24-year-old's contract runs until June 2029. But Roma wants a loan deal for an initial €5m-6m (£4.3-5.2m) with an obligation to buy if they get into the Champions League. It's one to watch.

Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace

Johnson scored 18 goals for Spurs last season, but Thomas Frank hasn't used him much, so a move is likely. The Athletic says that a £35m deal has been agreed between the two clubs, and Palace just needs to sort out personal terms with Johnson.

Johnson joined Spurs from Nottingham Forest in September 2023 for £47.5m, but now he's moving on.

Savinho to Tottenham

Mohammed Kudus has basically taken Johnson's place in the Spurs lineup, but the winger's departure could mean a new player arrives. Tottenham bid £60m for Savinho in the summer, but Man City turned it down. They might be more willing to sell now that Semenyo is joining, which will create even more competition for playing time.

Savinho has been on the bench at City this season and might jump at the chance to play more. Also, his record of five goals and 16 assists in 70 games might tempt City to sell.

Kobbie Mainoo to Napoli

Mainoo has been frustrated this season because he's been on the bench under Amorim. Bruno Fernandes' injury and Mainoo's own knock have made things even worse, and he wants to leave.

Napoli have already benefitted from signing Scott McTominay from United and want to do it again with Mainoo. Amorim has said that Mainoo isn't for sale and is part of the club's future, so it's not clear if United would change their mind, especially with their injuries and players leaving for AFCON.

Ivan Toney to Everton

Everton aren't getting much from Beto and Thierno Barry (just three goals in 40 appearances between them this season), so they want a new striker. Ivan Toney wants to get into the England squad for the summer and could come back from making a lot of money in Saudi Arabia.

Toney has 43 goals and 10 assists in 63 games for Al-Ahli and would be a good signing. The problem is that Al-Ahli don't want to sell, and Toney would have a huge tax bill if he returns to the UK.

Adama Traore to West Ham

The Hammers need new players quickly as they get closer to being relegated. Nuno Espirito Santo will get support in the transfer window, and the former Wolves manager is looking at a familiar player. Traore was a favorite when they were both at Wolves, and Fulham are happy to sell the winger, who isn't playing much under Marco Silva.

Axel Disasi to Crystal Palace

Chelsea wants to find new clubs for Disasi and Raheem Sterling, who were in the 'bomb squad' over the summer. Disasi is now back in the first team under Enzo Maresca, but he's still not a regular starter.

Sunderland, Bournemouth, and West Ham were all interested in Disasi in the summer, but Palace seems like the most likely option, since they need to plan for when Guehi leaves.

AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY

Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.

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Forest move six points clear of West Ham after crushing Chelsea away - Courtesy Picture

Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.

Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.

Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.

Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.

West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.

Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.

Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.

CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH

As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.

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"Mourinho was right," says Cesc after Chelsea’s 2015 double trophy-winning season - Courtesy Picture

Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.

After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.

He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.

Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.

“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”

Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.

Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.

He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.

Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.

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