More than two-thirds of the January transfer window has gone by, and Premier League clubs have made very few deals as of yet.
With 10 days remaining, it’s probably safe to assume that business is about to pick up…
[ MORE: Arsenal’s head of recruitment leaving club after one year ]
With Gonzalo Higuain expected to join Chelsea on loan in the coming hours or days, Alvaro Morata remains the player who’ll be most affected by the Argentine’s arrival. As such, the 26-year-old Spanish forward is expected to complete a loan move of his own in short order. Atletico Madrid could announce Morata’s arrival as soon Monday, according to Sky Sports.
Elsewhere in the locker room at Stamford Bridge, Eden Hazard has his heart set on joining Real Madrid in the summer, according to a report from Spanish newspaper Marca. With the Blues not wanting to sell their prized superstar, Hazard is reportedly ready to force the move through. At 28 years old, the Belgian likely only has two or three years remaining in the prime of his career, at which point paying a fee of (presumably) well over $100 million — if not $150 million — would be unwise on Madrid’s part.
Matteo Darmian is expected to leave Manchester United before the January window closes, with Juventus the current frontrunners for his services, according to the Guardian. Darmian’s initial move to the seven-time defending Serie A champions will be a loan deal, but Juve will have a $9-million option to sign the 29-year-old right back on a permanent basis. With his contract set to expire this summer, Man United would exercise an option in Darmian’s contract in order to recoup nearly 75 percent of their initial investment in the summer of 2015.
Marko Arnautovic reportedly has on the table an extremely lucrative offer from a Chinese Super League club, but the 29-year-old Austrian winger won’t be allowed to leave West Ham United until the summer, according to the Standard. While West Ham hope to avoid a drawn-out saga over the season’s final five months, the Hammers have zero intent to budge from their hardline stance, even if Arnautovic refuses to play and sits out. Arnautovic stands to make nearly $400,000 per week should a move to China come to pass.