Transfer deadline day: Chelsea near Fernandez move, Man Utd set for Sabitzer as Porro joins Spurs

Europe’s elite clubs raced to beat the January transfer deadline as Pedro Porro signed for Tottenham andEnzo Fernandezneared a record Premier League movewhen the window slammed shut.

Argentina’s World Cup winner Fernandez appearedset to completea long-awaited move to Chelsea in a record-breakingPremier League transfer.

While Chelsea aimed to bring in the youthful Fernandez, veteran Italy international Jorginho departed as he joined Arsenal after Mikel Arteta’s side were unable to secure Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo.

Manchester United also looked to strengthen their midfield with a loan deal for Bayern Munich’s Sabitzer after aninjury to key playmaker Christian Eriksen at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Tottenham solidified their defensive options by snaffling Spanish wing-back Porro from Sporting CPafter lengthy negotiations.

Stats Perform provides a rundown of the notable deals asthe mid-season transfer window finally closed.

BOEHLY BREAKS RECORD FOR FERNANDEZ

Fernandez emerged as a target for Chelsea following his influential displays for Argentina during their World Cup triumph in Qatar and the Blues’ Todd Boehly-led consortium appear tohave finally got their man.

After already snatching Mykhaylo Mudryk from under the noses of Arsenal,Chelsea are set to splasha reported £105.5million (€120m) on Fernandez from Benfica.

That wouldbreak the Premier League record of £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish, as the Blues looked to secure the former River Plate midfielder on a reported seven-and-a-half-year contract.

ARSENAL’S CAICEDO BLUES CURED BY JORGINHO

Arteta and Arsenal’s pursuit of Caicedo fell on deaf ears as Brighton refused to budge, despite the Gunnerslodging a reported £70m bid for the 21-year-old.

After missing out on primary midfield target Caicedo, Jorginho switched the blue shirt of Chelseafor the red of Arsenalas he completed a reported £12m transfer to the Premier League leaders.

The 31-year-old will provide able competition for the impressive Thomas Partey after penning an 18-month contractat Emirates Stadium.

TEN HAG FINDS ERIKSEN COVER IN SABITZER

With Eriksen ruled out for three months, Erik ten Hag and United acted swiftly to attempt to bring in experienced midfielder Sabitzer on a short-term loan.

Opportunities had been hard to come by for theAustria international after joiningBayern from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig ahead of the 2021-22 season.

He started just 15 times in his 40 appearances for theBundesliga champions, though he may now have the chance to impress in the Premier League with Ten Hag’s resurgent Red Devils.

CONTE GETS PORRO AS DOHERTY AND SPENCE DEPART

It appeared Tottenham may not secure the services of attack-minded wing-back Porro, formerly of Girona and Manchester City, after it seemed negotiations had come to a halt with Sporting.

But Spurs confirmed the 23-year-old’s arrival late on, with Porro signing on loan from Sportinguntil the end of the season, with an obligation fora reported £40m (€45m)move at the end of the season, while the Portuguese sidesigned Barcelona’s Hector Bellerin as a replacement.

That transfer saw Djed Spence, who only signed from Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to£20m in July, sent out to Ligue 1’s Rennes for the rest of the season on loan.

Fellow full-back Matt Doherty also made way as he joined Atletico Madrid on a six-month contract, with Spurs terminating the 31-year-old’s contract to "enable him to join another club".

OTHER DEALS

Bournemouth paid their second-highest transfer fee in history for Illya Zabarnyi, parting with a reported £24m (€27.2m) for the Ukraine centre-back from Dynamo Kyiv.

Gary O’Neil’s Bournemouth added a second signing soon after, confirming the arrival of Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore on a loan that will become permanent on a five-year deal in June.

Nottingham Forest continued their spending after signing Atleticocentre-back Felipe on a deal that will run until 2024, while Jonjo Shelvey also arrived from Newcastle United on a deal until 2025, anda move for Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas on loan was reportedlynearing.

Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace bolstered their midfieldby bringing inNaouirou Ahamadafor a reported £10.5m (€12m) fee from Stuttgart, while Arsenal’s Albert Sambi Lokonga joined on a six-month loan.

Leeds United’s Diego Llorente joined Jose Mourinho’s Roma on loan until the end of the season, with an option for a permanent transfer reportedly worth €18m (£15.9m).

Ayoze Perez is another Premier League player who will spend the second half of the term on loan, with the Leicester City forward moving to LaLiga side Real Betis.

Aleksandar Mitrovic’s Serbia team-mate Sasa Lukic tradedTorino for Fulham in a transfer reportedly worth £8.8m (€10m)including add-ons, signing a contract until June 2027.

Lukic will likely bejoined by Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares after Marco Silva’s side reportedly agreed to bring the former Southampton defender on a six-month loan.

Outside of England, Borussia Dortmund and Belgium midfielder Thorgan Hazard completed a short-term loan move to Eredivisie title hopefuls PSV.