Breaking down all the major deals, rumors from transfer deadline day

The 2025 winter transfer window has closed in most European countries. Get caught up on deadline day with theScore's quick-hit analysis.

What you need to know 📌

• Window closes in top five leagues
• Only 14 EPL transfers completed
• MLS teams make serious moves
• Arsenal keep their wallet shut
• Villa find deals in loan market
• Man Utd stay disciplined for a change
• Milan undergo midseason overhaul
• Palace reject huge bid for Guehi
• Man City finally add new midfielder
• Nkunku stays despite speculation

Completed deals ✅

Deals with an asterisk are reportedly done. The rest have been announced.

TRANSFER WINDOW IS CLOSED ⛔️

That's it! The January transfer window slammed shut at 6 p.m. ET in England, Spain, and Italy. The German Bundesliga and French Ligue 1 concluded business earlier in the day. Other European leagues, including the Dutch Eredivisie and the Turkish Super Lig, have later deadlines.

A number of transfers are still in the process of being completed. PSV Eindhoven have until 6 p.m. Tuesday to complete Tyrell Malacia's loan move from Manchester United. Galatasaray have until Feb. 11 to rubber-stamp Mario Lemina's return. Fulham reportedly have a deal in place to sign Willian but can wait to finalize it as he's a free agent and unbound by the constraints of the transfer window.

Premier League clubs can only complete signings after the deadline if they've submitted a deal sheet prior to it. A deal sheet confirms an agreement has been reached and that time is needed to swap all documents.

AC Milan will announce Joao Felix's arrival from Chelsea on Tuesday, according to The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg.

Man City carry deadline day 😤

Only 14 Premier League transfers were completed on deadline day. Four of them were loan deals, and two others involved players being loaned back to their original clubs.

Nico Gonzalez fetched the highest fee of the day at a reported €60 million. Tottenham have a €55-million option to buy in Mathys Tel's loan deal, but it remains to be seen if they'll activate it. Brighton & Hove Albion are the only other Premier League team to have made a major investment on the final day of the window, spending around €25 million to acquire 19-year-old forward Stefanos Tzimas from Nuremberg.

Manchester City were responsible for four of the nine most expensive deals in the January transfer window - and spent more than the other 19 Premier League clubs combined.

MLS teams join the party 🎉

While the January transfer window closed for most European clubs, the primary window for Major League Soccer teams remains open. Atlanta United moved quickest with deals for Miguel Almiron and Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, committing a reported $32 million in transfer fees for these two players to beef up their squad.

Latte Lath alone will cost an MLS-record $22 million when his transfer is finalized, according to MLS insider Tom Bogert. Atlanta spent the better part of the past month negotiating for the 26-year-old with 11 goals in the second-tier English Championship.

The Columbus Crew also got in on the action, selling 2023 MLS Cup MVP Cucho Hernandez to Real Betis for a reported $16 million. Hernandez finished second in MLS voting last season after scoring 19 regular-season goals.

Meanwhile, the Houston Dynamo paid $2.1 million in cash - not general or targeted allocation money - to sign U.S. men's national team midfielder Jack McGlynn.

After years of protectionist transfer policies, MLS dealmakers seem willing to invest actual dollars to improve their teams.

No reinforcements for Arsenal 👎

Mikel Arteta didn't exactly plead for a striker to replace Gabriel Jesus or an attacker to fill in for Bukayo Saka. His message was measured: Arsenal would only sign someone if it made sense long term.

They made a late play for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins but didn't force the issue and eventually retreated from view on deadline day. Clearly, Arsenal didn't like what they saw on the market - at least, not at the prices quoted - and decided to forge ahead with the players they have.

Sunday's 5-1 win over Manchester City may have convinced Arsenal's brass they can make do until Saka returns in March. Martin Odegaard scored for the second time in three games, and Kai Havertz made it five in his last 10. They ended up with five different players on the scoresheet. Maybe Arteta feels he can get enough supplementary scoring to keep their Premier League title hopes alive.

Villa make calculated bets 💰

Aston Villa turned a dilemma into an opportunity.

Head coach Unai Emery had a hard time juggling his strikers. Jhon Duran wanted more minutes and ultimately deserved them after scoring so many times off the bench. But Ollie Watkins had established himself as a starter and worked hard enough off the ball to satisfy his coach.

Al-Nassr took Duran off Villa's hands for a reported €77 million, a number they simply couldn't refuse despite the 21-year-old's clear promise. The sale also allowed them to rebuff Arsenal's late approach for Watkins. Villa then proceeded to round out their squad for the business end of the season. With Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio joining on loan, Villa have balanced their attack and eliminated the noise around their striker situation.

The loan market provided a solution at the back as well. Chelsea defender Axel Disasi went to Villa Park after resisting a move to Tottenham. His loan deal will cost the club £5 million but provide necessary relief in the absence of injured center-backs Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings.

There's a lot on Villa's plate: They're through to the Champions League round of 16, still alive in the FA Cup, and six points back of the top four. They have the firepower to hit their targets. But the signings are structured to have minimal blowback. If they don't qualify for the Champions League next season, they can simply send Rashford, Asensio, and Disasi back to their parent clubs and retool as necessary in the summer. If they finish in the top four, they'll have the wherewithal to sign any or all of them permanently.

Man United stuck in holding pattern ✋

Manchester United were too close to violating the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules to make any big swings in the January window. Though they managed to sign highly rated left wing-back Patrick Dorgu for around €30 million, United focused more on shaking out their underperforming squad. Marcus Rashford and Antony accepted their fates, moving away on loan while Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo fought to prove their worth to head coach Ruben Amorim. Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia, who never looked comfortable in Amorim's system, is also set to leave on loan.

United considered signing Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel but objected to the £5-million loan fee the German club requested, according to The Telegraph's James Ducker. Tel joined Tottenham instead.

Quite simply, the Red Devils weren't in a position to waste money on players who may or may not have had a future with them.

More moves should happen in the summer. Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof are on expiring contracts, and the club should have more funds available to spend. United are trying to be disciplined - even if the size of the rebuild is immense for a club that stands as close to the relegation zone as it does to the Champions League places.

PSG leaner but not necessarily better 🤷‍♂️

With Marco Asensio completing his loan move to Aston Villa, Paris Saint-Germain close the window weighing a little less. They've trimmed down their squad considerably over the last month, selling Xavi Simons to RB Leipzig for an initial €50 million and Cher Ndour to Fiorentina for around €10 million, while allowing bit parts Milan Skriniar, Randal Kolo Muani, and Asensio to leave on temporary terms.

There's just one problem: PSG blew all of their savings on a player they really didn't need.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is unquestionably a star, but to PSG, he's nothing more than a luxury signing. The club's two most promising players, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, also play on the left wing. What happens to them? PSG have a surplus of wingers, and Kvaratskhelia, who cost around €70 million, can only improve so much of their already solid wing play.

A deficit remains at the center-forward position, where Goncalo Ramos, who has just four league goals this season, has had to fend for himself. If he goes down injured again, PSG's bounty of wingers will have no one to target in the penalty area.

The good thing is that PSG are behaving better financially. The bad thing is that there's hardly a net positive.

Big changes for Milan 🔄

AC Milan had to do something to kick-start their season. In the end, they decided to upend their squad.

Alvaro Morata, signed in the summer, was loaned out to Galatasaray. Noah Okafor, whose move to RB Leipzig collapsed at the last second, joined Napoli. Former captain Davide Calabria was shipped off to Bologna, Ismael Bennacer left for Marseille, and Samuel Chukwueze was put up for sale. Milan had even agreed to send Fikayo Tomori to Tottenham but terminated the transfer shortly before Sunday's derby with Inter and watched as the English defender put in one of his best performances in their 1-1 draw with their rivals.

Milan are now hoping to get goals from Santiago Gimenez, the 23-year-old striker they signed from Feyenoord for around €30 million. They're adding Joao Felix on loan from Chelsea and Fiorentina playmaker Riccardo Sottil as Noah Okafor's replacement, and finalized a reported €10-million deal with Monza for 21-year-old midfielder Warren Bondo.

The moves shook Milan's foundations, leaving them with just six holdovers from the 2021-22 Scudetto-winning squad.

They are currently in eighth place in Serie A, seven points outside the Champions League places and a whopping 19 off the top of the table. They're involved in the Champions League playoffs but are completely unpredictable and may not qualify for the competition next season.

There are no excuses now.

Man City finally bolster midfield 🙌

Manchester City waited until deadline day to address their most glaring area of need.

In the tank ever since Rodri's untimely injury, City finally spent big on the Ballon d'Or winner's replacement, signing Nico Gonzalez from Porto for a reported €60 million. The fee pushes their total January outlay above the €200-million mark.

Replacing Rodri is impossible, but Gonzalez, a Barcelona academy product, should be an immediate improvement on the porous midfield that continues to toil in Rodri's absence. The 23-year-old is the same type of deep-lying playmaker as his accomplished compatriot, comfortable in tight spaces and useful both in and out of possession.

City rotated through a number of targets - including Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz - before landing on Gonzalez. They were also linked with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.

Palace reject 'major' Guehi offer ❌

Despite signing Kevin Danso from Lens over the weekend, Tottenham spent the final hours of the window looking for another central defender to alleviate the pressure on Ange Postecoglou's injury-ravaged backline. They tried to tempt Crystal Palace with a "major" deadline-day offer for standout defender Marc Guehi, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, but couldn't convince them to part with the England international midseason. Then they moved for Chelsea's Axel Disasi but couldn't convince him to join even on a temporary basis.

Danso will help. But Spurs are down center-backs Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Radu Dragusin and languishing in 14th place in the Premier League. That's a lot to overcome.

Spurs have particular needs. They didn't just need defenders but quick center-backs who can cover large spaces and maintain Postecoglou's high line. Danso, Guehi, and Disasi had all fit the bill. But prospective options weren't cheap and the situation at Spurs wasn't an easy sell.

Chelsea's outgoing market 👋

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Chelsea spent much of deadline day front and center. Axel Disasi (Aston Villa), Ben Chilwell (Crystal Palace), Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund), and Joao Felix (AC Milan) made their escape on deadline day, following Renato Veiga and Cesare Casadei out the door.

But one player stayed put. Christopher Nkunku, the versatile French forward, was linked with Bayern Munich and Manchester United in January but only considered leaving on a permanent basis and neither club seemed prepared to pay up. Chelsea reportedly demanded a transfer fee of around £70 million to sanction a move, even though the 27-year-old has fallen down the pecking order. It's a disappointing result for Nkunku, who's has struggled for minutes ever since injuring his knee at the start of the 2023-24 season. He's started just three Premier League matches this season. A transfer could've reinvigorate his once-exciting career.

Visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker to get caught up on every EPL signing of the January window.