Forest in talks with Lyon over Mangala sale Nottingham Forest are in talks with Lyon over a deal for Orel Mangala, with the Premier League side understood to be holding out for an initial £25m fee for the Belgium midfielder. That would represent a significant profit on the player who joined in July 2022 from Stuttgart for around £12m and has made 19 appearances in the Premier League this season. Lyon are believed to have offered a package worth up to £30m in add-ons for the 25-year-old and remain in negotiations. The French club – who are owned by John Textor, Crystal Palace’s biggest shareholder – are also reported to have agreed a £15m fee for West Ham’s Saïd Benrahma but the forward has yet to decide whether he wants to move. Tuesday"s headlines Here’s a summary of today’s headlines … Klopp calls for ‘calm’ over key players’ contracts Palace sign Muñoz and close on deal for Wharton Aston Villa agree fee with Boro for winger Rogers Spurs track Gallagher, Plymouth reject Lazio bid Burnley target Estève, Hashioka heads for Luton WSL: Arsenal sign former Lyon keeper Bouhaddi Another departure at Nottingham Forest – Scott McKenna has joined FC Copenhagen on loan until the end of the season. The centre-back hasn’t featured in the league since September and last played at Blackpool in an FA Cup third-round replay. He could now line up against Manchester City in the Champions League last 16 with his new club. A reminder of the biggest deals done this January – Dragusin is the only Premier League recruit in the top 20, although that’s likely to change before Thursday’s deadline. Luton Town’s only signing so far this month is Tom Holmes, who has gone back to Reading on loan until the summer. But according to Fabrizio Romano, Japan right-back Daiki Hashioka is poised to join the Hatters for £1.7m … Meanwhile, Sarah Rendell is on hand as Chelsea close out their Women’s Champions League group with a visit to Paris FC, who are still in the hunt for a quarter-final place. It’s all gone a little quiet on the transfer front – but fear not, because John Ashdown is here with some Actual Football. It’s Mali v Burkina Faso in a local derby at the Africa Cup of Nations … "Stay calm": Klopp reassures fans over key players Jürgen Klopp has said Liverpool fans should “stay calm” as his team will not break up this summer and key contract issues can be resolved now there is clarity over his future. The Liverpool manager dismissed concerns his decision to leave at the end of the season could prompt leading players to follow suit. The denial follows Virgil van Dijk’s admission that he is unsure whether he will be part of the post-Klopp era, with the Liverpool captain in the final 18 months of his deal. Klopp admitted players will want answers on the direction of the club, but he is adamant the team he has rebuilt into Premier League title contenders will not rupture as a result of his exit. “No, I don’t think so but it is completely normal,” the Liverpool manager said. “It is always clear, when I spoke about [leaving], the outside world will not give you a second to process it. It is: ‘What are you doing?’ A week ago when no-one knew about my decision and there were 18 months on the contracts, nobody asked. Give the boys a break.” Time for some music, and underwhelming transfer news. Riccardo Saponara has joined Ankaragucu from Verona! It’s been a busy month around Europe in the women’s game. Catch up on all the transfers with Sarah Rendell’s interactive guide. Bayern Munich are unveiling new right-back Sacha Boey today after he completed his €30m (£25.6m) move from Galatasaray on Sunday. The German giants could still make another January signing – with Kingsley Coman injured, they could bring forward the arrival of Granada winger Bryan Zaragoza, who has already agreed to join the club this summer. Morgan Rogers set for Aston Villa medical More on Aston Villa’s move for Morgan Rogers, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano. He’s heading for a medical at Villa Park tomorrow, with Manchester City getting 25% of the fee. Tottenham have been one of the few Premier League clubs to have been busy this month, but Ange Postecoglou is not expecting any more new arrivals. “Unlikely I’d say. I don’t see any incomings,” Postecoglou said at his press conference before Wednesday’s Premier League game against Brentford. “Outgoings, a little bit different because I’m not totally engaged with that. I’d say unlikely on both fronts, without ruling anything out.” Spurs have signed Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin for £25m and also brought in Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig. Eric Dier, Sergio Reguilón and Ivan Perisic have all left on loan with Hugo Lloris joining LAFC on a free. Palace agree fee of up to £22m for Adam Wharton Crystal Palace are set to seal their second transfer of the January window after agreeing a fee worth up to £22m with Blackburn for Adam Wharton. The 19-year-old is due to complete his medical having been an unused substitute on Monday night in Blackburn’s 4-1 win over Wrexham in the FA Cup before travelling to London today. Wharton will join for an initial £18.5m having signed a new contract at Ewood Park in December. It is understood Palace have extensively scouted Wharton over the last 12 months and made his signing a priority after a disastrous run of results under Roy Hodgson. He and new right-back Daniel Muñoz are expected to be at Selhurst Park for tonight’s game against Sheffield United. A potential breakthrough in the long-running Morgan Rogers to Aston Villa saga. After a third bid was rejected and Chelsea reportedly joined the race, Villa have upped their offer, with Sky reporting that a fee of up to £16m has been agreed with Middlesbrough. Wolves may have failed with a move to sign Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea, but Sky Sports report that they are closing in on PSG’s Noha Lemina, who will link up with older brother Mario Lemina at Molineux and is expected to join the club’s development squad in the first instance. Bad news, West Ham fans – that 18-month loan move for winger Jota looks very unlikely to happen. But with Benrahma and Fornals on the way out, surely new attacking recruits are needed? Spending has slowed this month but as a new Fifa report shows, 2023 was a record-breaker. $9.6 billion (£7.6bn) was spent on international transfers – breaking the mark set in 2019 by more than $2bn. Of that total, £2.3bn was spent by English clubs while £766m was splashed out by Saudi clubs. Chelsea were the biggest spenders in Europe, with five other English sides (Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City and Spurs) in the top 10. More than 10% of the total outlay came from the year’s top 10 transfers, including Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid and Enzo Fernández’s switch from Benfica to Chelsea. World football’s governing body also noted a big increase in transfers across the women’s game, with 20% more deals and a total spend of $6.1 million (£4.81m) – an 84% increase from 2022. You can read the report here. Staying in the Championship, and Plymouth Argyle have turned down a bid from Lazio for attacking talent Morgan Whittaker. “Last night we received an official offer for Morgan from Lazio,” director of football Neil Dewsnip told Plymouth Live. “Having discussed this internally and with the player’s representatives, the offer was immediately rejected. “Morgan is very happy at Argyle and we maintain our position that he is not for sale,” Dewsnip added. Whittaker, who has scored 16 goals this season, has also been linked with Fulham and Brentford and is valued at around £10m. On former top-flight talents managing in non-league: “Andy Welsh (11 appearances for Sunderland in their ill fated 2005-06 campaign) is now managing at Northern Premier League side Guiseley,” writes Dave Robertson. Meanwhile, my colleague Paul Bellsham nominates West Ham legend Alan Devonshire, who is now the manager at Maidenhead United, and Jonathan Greening, who is in the dugout at Scarborough Athletic. Thanks, Tom. I fear the size of my lunch may have breached sustainability rules, but I’ll soldier on. Let’s resume with a Premier League departure: Ryan Giles has left Luton to join Hull City on loan. The former Wolves wing-back is used to life on loan – he had eight temporary spells away from Molineux before joining Luton last summer. Now he’s heading back to the Championship with a purchase option agreed. “He’s going to make a huge difference to our team, give us balance and a real attacking threat on the left side of the pitch,” said the Hull manager, Liam Rosenior. Giles could make his debut against Millwall this Saturday. And with that, I’ll hand you back to a hopefully well-nourished Niall McVeigh. Bye. Sunderland sign Hjelde from Leeds: Sunderland have signed the defender Leo Hjelde from Leeds for an undisclosed fee, reports PA Media. The 20-year-old, son of former Nottingham Forest defender Jon Olav Hjelde, has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. Hjelde told Sunderland’s website: “I spoke to my dad, who showed me the size of the club and the support, and I knew it was a move I simply I could not turn down.” Saïd Benrahma to Lyon? Sky Sports News is trailing reports that a deal worth c£15m is close between the Ligue 1 club and West Ham for the winger, possibly bringing to an end an up-and-down spell at the London Stadium for the former Brentford man. Jürgen Klopp speaks, and scoffs at suggestions that a period of turbulence is coming down the track after his departure, with doubts raised about Virgil van Dijk’s future and 18 months remaining on the contracts of Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold: “I don’t think so,” he says, “I said what I had to say [last Friday] and I was always clear that the outside world will not give you a second to process it, to think about it. A week ago no one was asking about these boys having 18 months on their contract, no one has to worry. The majority of this team is Ok here – of course if you want to find someone who is not safe then you will find them. Write what you want, this club is stable, everything is fine. I would recommend to stay calm. Very often the fans’ concerns are not as big as the media’s I think – you underestimate the IQ of our supporters.” Tomorrow’s opponents, Chelsea, he says are “playing really good stuff, they’re a really good team with an outstanding manager; no one has ever had any doubt about that.… Chelsea not only have an incredible amount of players but they had an incredible amount of injuries, but Chelsea now play like they want to, and for a long time they couldn’t line up like that.” Mauricio Pochettino is next up on the media slab. “Excited about the transfer window closing?” he’s asked. “No,” deadpans the Chelsea manager, and offers little info on any late deals. He’s focused on Liverpool away tomorrow. “There will be a party atmosphere [for Jürgen Klopp] and give him all the love that the fans feel for him but we’re thinking solely to go there and win the game.” Asked whether it was wise to announce your departure far in advance, he said: “It’s impossible to give a right answer but I think it’s not going to change too much – their players are professionals. Pochettino also expects Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto to be available for the trip to Anfield, which certainly boosts the visitors’ party-pooping potential. Thomas Frank has been chatting to the media before Brentford’s visit to Tottenham tomorrow, and declares himself “happy with the transfer window so far” from a Bees perspective, but may look for one more addition, with the subject of recent Kerfuffle being Antonio Nusa, who’s also a target for tomorrow’s oppomnents, Spurs, to add a little spice, but declines to name him “We’ve been rumoured to [be in for] about 12 players and we’ll do our very best to sign all 12 players,” Frank quips. “I don’t speak about players who are not officially signed with us – what I would say is I am happy with the transfer window so far, we’ve got the most important player in, Sergio Reguillón, who met an absolute need in the left-back position, we goy two good talented players in Konak and Valdimarsson – we will see if we can sign one more. And we’re also working on players who could be possibles in the summer.” Thanks Niall. While we wait for any hot breaking Done Deal action, another Premier Leaguer managing in non-league comes to mind: Tim Flowers, something of a National League stalwart, currently in charge of Gloucester, having also managed Solihull Moors, Macclesfield, Barnet and Stratford Town. I recall his Solihull side being pretty useful, if a tad on the muscular and direct side. Keep ’em coming. Time to hand over to Tom Davies, who will see you through the lunchtime latest … Tuesday"s headlines so far Crystal Palace have signed Genk right-back Daniel Muñoz Eagles also closing in on Blackburn star Adam Wharton Spurs track Conor Gallagher with Chelsea willing to sell Arsenal Women sign former Lyon keeper Sarah Bouhaddi West Ham working on loan deal for Al-Ittihad winger Jota Al-Shabab sign Rakitic after dropping Almirón interest Bournemouth are still making some (minor) moves on the player front too. With David Brooks expected to join Southampton on loan, the club will recall Romain Faivre from Lorient to bolster their creative options. Bournemouth and Hibernian may not be the last clubs to strike a cross-border partnership – but will it bring any real change to the cash-poor and uncompetitive Scottish leagues? Ewan Murray has his doubts. While other Premier League clubs are scrabbling around trying to sign players, Bournemouth are out here buying stakes in other teams. The Black Knight group, led by Cherries owner Bill Foley, already own 30% of Ligue 1’s Lorient, are set to take a similar stake in Hibernian after the SFA granted permission for the investment to proceed today. Foley plans to invest £6m into Hibs, who are largely owned by the American-based family of late chairman Ron Gordon. One key SFA condition was that the deal will not prevent the Edinburgh side from competing in Europe. More Premier League names in non-league: “Kevin Phillips was managing South Shields before Julio Arca and is now at Hartlepool United,” notes Dip Ruparelia. Speaking of City: Pep Guardiola has confirmed Erling Haaland is available again after recovering from a foot problem. Haaland hasn’t played since the 1-0 defeat at Villa Park in December, and could play alongside Kevin De Bruyne for the first time since … City’s 3-0 win at Burnley on the opening day. Oh Vinny! It’s been a quiet month for Burnley – since loaning in David Datro Fofana on 13 January, one day after a 1-1 home draw with Luton, the Clarets haven’t played a match or signed anyone. Vincent Kompany’s side face his former club, Manchester City, on Wednesday and the Burnley manager has confirmed he is interested in signing Montpellier defender Maxime Estève. “All I can say is he’s not our player at the moment,” Kompany told reporters. “I think we’re past the point where I can deny there’s been interest, but he’s not our player and until then I can’t say much more. The Belgian also declined to rule out January departures for Connor Roberts and Manuel Benson, and revealed that Nathan Redmond is out for the season after requiring surgery following a “freak incident in training”. Owen Beck, recalled by Liverpool earlier this month as defensive cover, has gone back to Dundee on loan until the end of the season. He clocked up seven minutes against Bournemouth, but the return of Andy Robertson and impressive form of Conor Bradley mean he can head back to Dens Park. Beck has also been linked with a permanent move to Celtic or Rangers this month. The Armando Broja brouhaha continues. The Chelsea forward has been linked with a move away all month, but Wolves’ approach for a straight loan deal has been knocked back. Just play him, Mauricio. On Premier League stalwarts now managing in non-league, Eliot Barrass writes: “Steve Watson (ex Newcastle United) has been appointed Darlington manager, and until recently Julio Arca was South Shields boss.” Blackburn"s Wharton set for Crystal Palace medical Crystal Palace are closing in on an agreement for Blackburn midfielder Adam Wharton, with the 19-year-old having travelled to London to complete his medical. It is understood that the fee will be in excess of £20m after Palace’s initial bid of £18.5m was rejected last week. Wharton, who signed a new five-year contract at Ewood Park in December after an outstanding Championship campaign, is wanted by Roy Hodgson after Cheick Doucouré was ruled out for the season. Blackburn’s young player of the season has previously attracted interest from Newcastle and Wolves. Palace, who face Sheffield United this evening in a crucial Premier League match, earlier confirmed the signing of Colombia right-back Daniel Muñoz from Genk on a three-year deal. Having given up on a move for Miguel Almirón, Saudi side Al-Shabab have struck a deal for Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic. “We have agreed a deal with Al-Shabab Club for the transfer of Ivan Rakitic, who will bring his second spell with us to a close,” Sevilla said in a statement. The former Croatia international, who started the World Cup final in 2018, played for the La Liga club from 2011 to 2014, then returned in 2020 after six years at Barcelona. Chimbonda at Skelmersdale, George Elokobi at Maidstone – are there more Premier League stalwarts out there managing in non-league? Let me know who I’ve missed. A new signing of sorts: Pascal Chimbonda is coming out of retirement to play for the team he currently manages, Skelmersdale United. The former Wigan and Spurs man will make his debut against Charnock Richard tonight, stepping in after his side lost 10-1 (!) to Bury at the weekend. One confirmed departure at Nottingham Forest: Jonathan Panzo has joined Belgian side Standard Liège on loan until the end of the season. The centre-back has only made one Forest appearance since joining in 2022, and has previously been loaned out to Coventry and Cardiff. Bologna have announced the arrival of promising Argentinian striker Santiago Castro, who joins from Vélez Sarsfield for a reported €12m (£10.26m) fee. It’s a transfer with a ripple effect that leads back to Arsenal – Brentford were thought to have been tracking Castro and while Ivan Toney has long been linked with a move to the Emirates, Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee has also emerged as a target. Cardiff City are close to completing the loan signing of Liverpool defender Nat Phillips. The centre-half was recalled from an unsuccessful loan spell at Celtic earlier this month and, despite interest from Blackburn, has travelled to the Welsh capital to seal another temporary move from Anfield. Marco Asensio has been linked with a move away from Paris Saint-Germain – possibly to Bayer Leverkusen – but Fabrizio Romano reports that the Spain international is staying put. Marcus Rashford is all over today’s headlines, but it seems there is little to no chance of the player leaving Old Trafford this week. Rashford reported ill for training on Friday after allegedly going out in Belfast on Thursday night. Manchester United have said “an internal disciplinary matter” regarding Rashford “is now closed”, and he could feature against Wolves on Thursday. West Ham working on loan move for winger Jota West Ham are keen to sign a winger on loan and are working on a move for Jota. The Portuguese left Celtic for Al-Ittihad last summer but it hasn’t worked out for him in Saudi Arabia. Jota turned down a loan move to Al-Ettifaq – he really wants to return to the UK and is very open to an 18-month loan at West Ham. The complicating factor is the tax liability that would come with leaving Saudi Arabia. The deal is a work in progress. West Ham have also looked at Nordsjaelland’s Ibrahim Osman but have cooled their interest because of the asking price. The 19-year-old winger could be a target for Brighton this week. In terms of outgoings, Lyon have made a bid of £15m plus add-ons for Saïd Benrahma. The Algerian winger is currently reluctant to leave West Ham, though. Pablo Fornals, meanwhile, could return to Spain with Real Betis. Spurs eye Gallagher with Chelsea willing to sell Tottenham are considering a move for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher this week. The midfielder is out of contract in 18 months and Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for him. Selling an academy product would help their FFP position, but wouldn’t be a popular move with Chelsea supporters. Gallagher, who is from a family of Chelsea fans, has been an important player for Mauricio Pochettino this season and has captained the team on occasion. There is no doubt, however, that the club would sell him for the right price. Chelsea were after at least £50m for him last summer, when Spurs were willing to pay £35m and West Ham had a bid of £37m plus add ons turned down. I’d still be surprised if this went through this week. Will Spurs offer enough? Will Gallagher accept the move? I’ve previously reported that Gallagher wants to stay and play in the Carabao Cup final. But the complicating factor is that there’s been no movement towards the England international signing a new deal. Chelsea do not want players running down contracts. News of potential ins and outs at Nottingham Forest … Mangala joined for £12.7m 18 months ago and the club could be swayed by the chance to double their money, particularly with those pesky PSR rules causing headaches at the City Ground. In goal, neither Matt Turner nor Odysseas Vlachodimos have convinced, and Nuno Espírito Santo is open to finding an upgrade before Thursday’s deadline. WSL: Arsenal sign keeper Sarah Bouhaddi Another confirmed signing, this time for Arsenal Women. The Gunners have signed French goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi on a short-term deal. The hugely experienced Bouhaddi is available on a free, having spent the 2022-23 season at Paris Saint-Germain. She was a key part of the Lyon team that won 11 league titles, eight French Cups and eight Uefa Women’s Champions Leagues during her 13 years there. Now 37, Bouhaddi has won 149 caps for France and will wear the No 86 jersey for the Gunners. “I’m delighted to be joining Arsenal and to become part of this great club,” said Sarah. “Arsenal has so much history across both the men’s and women’s teams and I’ve always admired the club.” “We’re really pleased to bring Sarah to Arsenal to help us over the coming weeks,” said the Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall. There aren’t many goalkeepers with the breadth of experience and knowledge that Sarah has, so we’re delighted to bring her in to supplement our goalkeeping options.” Some heavyweight names in the frame in Tuesday’s Rumour Mill. Crystal Palace sign right-back Daniel Muñoz Let’s kick off with a Premier League done deal: Crystal Palace have signed Daniel Muñoz from Genk until 2027, with an option for a further year. The fee is undisclosed but reportedly in the region of £8.5m. The 27-year-old has scored seven goals and provided two assists in Belgium this season, having first moved to Genk from Atlético Nacional in 2020. Muñoz has 23 Colombia caps and will join up with compatriot Jefferson Lerma at Selhurst Park. “We are delighted to welcome a player of Daniel’s quality and character to the club,” said the Palace chairman, Steve Parish. “His ability, athleticism and tenacity will be a huge boost to the squad.” “It’s a pleasure for me to be here at such a historic club as Crystal Palace. I’m very excited, very happy, and I can’t wait to be on the pitch,” said Muñoz. “It’s a dream come true for me and I hope to be up to the task.” Preamble It’s not just Premier League clubs who are tightening their belts this month. Last summer’s Saudi spending spree saw £700m splashed out on signings, in an effort to propel the Pro League into the same stratosphere as Europe’s “big five” divisions. Despite what Cristiano Ronaldo might claim, that hasn’t happened and with the Saudi transfer window closing today, the league’s January outlay so far amounts to £19.6m – all spent by Al-Hilal to sign Marseille’s Renan Lodi. Instead, this month has been more about keeping summer recruits on board. Jordan Henderson has jumped ship to Ajax, while Karim Benzema’s wage demands have stalled a move back to Europe for now. Miguel Almirón was one of the few being linked with a move to the Gulf, but it seems Al-Shabab are unwilling to meet Newcastle’s £30m valuation. Will the Saudi league flex its financial muscles once again today, or will more late departures shake the foundations? The answer to all that, and much more, is coming up in the next few hours.