Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the January transfer window.
It is all kicking off with managers up and down the country ready to spend money like it's going out of fashion. Philippe Coutinho is now a Barcelona player after months and months of negotiations were finally completed to the tune of £142m. Now, how will Liverpool replace him? They already have Virgil van Dijk but Monaco's Thomas Lemar and Leicester's Riyad Mahrez are also on manager Jurgen Klopp's shortlist.
Over at Manchester United Jose Mourinho has his team in Dubai for some much-needed warm weather training as he ponders where to go next with his side 15 points behind rivals City. A new left-back and an attacking midfielder are top of his post-Christmas list. Pep Guardiola is sitting pretty at the top of the table but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to get better - Alexis Sanchez is the man he wants with the Chilean's move from Arsenal seemingly imminent.
We will have all the latest news throughout the day right here so settle in, open up a browser tab and soak it all in.
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"That's become even more vitally important with the number of injuries we suffered.
"You could argue that if we said we wanted three or four then really we should be looking at six or seven, because we have lost at least two players for the rest of this season, and probably the start of next season.
"We still have two or three others who are a month away at least from being able to play.
"So, I don't think we are going to get that but what I am saying logically is you could argue that."
Philippe Coutinho has asked Liverpool fans to understand why he had to follow his dream and sign for Barcelona.
The Brazilian finally sealed a £142m move to the Nou Camp over the weekend after months of protracted negotiations and was presented as a Barca player in a lavish ceremony on Monday.
The reaction back home to Coutinho's exit has been mixed with some supporters critical of the way the transfer eventually played out but the man himself has taken the time to post one last message to the Reds faithful and attempted to explain his decision.
Lazio have signed defender Martin Caceres from Hellas Verona on a one-year contract with the option for a renewal.
The Uruguay international, capped 75 times, joined Verona last August after just half a season at Southampton.
The 30-year-old previously spent four years at Juventus and had stints at Spanish top flight clubs Villareal, Barcelona and Sevilla.
Rangers target Jason Cummings will wait for talks with new Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka before deciding his future.
The 22-year-old Scotland striker made his switch to the City Ground last summer but found himself sidelined by Mark Warburton during the final days of his Forest reign.
The Light Blues are now rumoured to be considering offering him an escape route back north of the border.
A fee of around £1million would be required to prise him away but Ibrox boss Graham Murty now has room to manoeuvre after striking a deal with Mexican outfit Cruz Azul - now managed by his Light Blues predecessor Pedro Caixinha - that will see them cover all of Carlos Pena's £20,000-a-week wages as part of a six-month loan deal, with a guaranteed £2million sum to follow if the move is made permanent.
Manchester United gossip round-up
Antoine Griezmann would reportedly prefer a move to Barcelona over Manchester United if he elects to leave Atletico Madrid this summer.
Griezmann was heavily linked with United last year and came close to joining up with Jose Mourinho’s side before Atletico’s two-window transfer ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 26-year-old forward decided to stay put and help his current club but is expected to depart at the end of the season.
Francis Coquelin is ready to move to Valencia if the Spanish club can agree a fee with Arsenal.
The combative midfielder has been linked with West Ham and Crystal Palace, but Valencia are also keen on strengthening their squad with the out-of-favour Coquelin as they push for a place in next season's Champions League.
Arsenal are keen on Boca Juniors' Cristian Pavon and are expected to make a move for the 21-year-old winger this summer.
Juventus and Manchester City have also been following the versatile wide forward, but Arsenal are understood to be closest to pulling the trigger and have commissioned extensive background checks on the player already.
Pavon's explosive style earmarks him as the perfect replacement for Alexis Sanchez, with the Chilean set to depart the club either this month or in the summer. He is an Argentina international, having made his debut in the friendly against Russia last year.
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“No. I expect nothing. I am focused on tomorrow’s game," he said. "When solicitations happen you respond to it. At the moment it’s very quiet. I have nothing to add.
“What is the most important thing is to be professional and to perform no matter what the environment is.
“It’s not a big influence on the performance of our team.
“I have not decided yet [whether he will play]. I will decide today or tomorrow morning.”
Harry Kane believes that Philippe Coutinho has been “very professional” in eventually getting his long-desired move from Liverpool to Barcelona, as he said clubs should generally let players who want to go because they may not “put their heart on the line”.
The comments mean all the more from Kane given that he is someone who has declared his ambition to stay at Tottenham Hotspur in the long term, even though they are often in a similar situation to Liverpool with wealthier clubs looking for their players, and some of his teammates might well have that soon.
It is expected that Spurs will eventually stretch their wage structure to offer the striker a new contract - and probably more than double his wages - but Kane denied any knowledge of a deal.
Under-pressure Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino wants to spend on a striker this month as he desperately looks to add goals to his team.
Saints will see their coffers boosted by the sale of Virgil van Dijk, although they have had to pay out a large chunk of the initial fee from Liverpool to the Dutchman’s former clubs Celtic, who had a sell-on clause.
And while the Argentinean will look to strengthen his defence as well, the priority is on attacking players and a Saints return for Theo Walcott is something that the club will look at if the price is right.
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Arsene Wenger has revealed Konstantinos Mavropanos was the first Arsenal signing done on the basis of new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat’s advice, as the manager spoke of how the club are currently adapting to a new structure and the need to find a “new balance”.
There have been 10 backroom appointments at the club since June, with Mislintat the most high profile, and former Barcelona official Raul Sanllehi set to start as director of football on 1 February.
Asked whether Mislintat had identified Mavropanos, Wenger said: “yes”.
Tuesday's gossip round-up
Chelsea's attempts to sign Juventus left-back Alex Sandro have stalled due to the Italian club's asking price, the Telegraph reports. The paper says Juventus are demanding about £60million for the 26-year-old, which is more than Chelsea are prepared to spend - a similar scenario to last summer when the Italian club wanted almost £80million.
Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is said to be in talks over a move to Valencia after finding himself out of favour at the Emirates. The Daily Mail says West Ham are also interested in the 26-year-old, but that Hammers manager David Moyes fears Coquelin would prefer a move to the Spanish LaLiga side.
West Ham are reportedly moving closer to securing a £12million deal for Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey. The Daily Express says talks between the two clubs have progressed, but that the Magpies are keen to line up a replacement before the deal is finalised.
Liverpool youngster Cameron Brannagan is close to leaving his boyhood club and joining Oxford United on a permanent basis.
The highly-rated 21-year-old made eight appearances under Jürgen Klopp during the 2015-16 season but has since found his opportunities limited and is now desperate to play first-team football.
Brannagan, who once attracted interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, will see his current contract at Anfield expire this summer and Oxford are ready to offer a two-and-a-half year deal to the midfielder.
More from Mark Critchley here:
Philippe Coutinho’s Barcelona shirt number has been revealed – and it’s one that carries a lot of significance at the Nou Camp.
The Brazilian has been handed the No 14 shirt following the confirmation of his move from Liverpool for £142m, which has been vacated by another former Red, Javier Mascherano, who will complete a move to China imminently.
But it is not Mascherano who has made that shirt famous, it is the late Johan Cruyff, who made it his trademark throughout his career and played for Barcelona between 1973 and 1978, switching between No 14 and No 9, scoring 48 goals in 143 games and winning both La Liga and the Copa del Rey in the process.
Alexis Sanchez could be a Manchester City player within a week, according to figures close to the Arsenal striker, as the Premier League leaders prepare another move for the Chilean.
City had been weighing up whether to move for Sanchez now or wait to get him on a free at the end of the season, having already been denied last summer, but the injury to Gabriel Jesus has persuaded them to act, with dialogue over a potential deal having been re-opened over the weekend.
On the other side, it is understood that Arsene Wenger is now willing to sanction a sale, having previously been absolutely determined to keep Sanchez.
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