Jan 03, 2026
3 min read
We take a look at 10 players who will make headlines next month, including 'the new Kevin De Bruyne'.
While Semenho would undoubtedly prefer to stay in Morocco right now, one of the advantages of Ghana's failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations is that the 25-year-old is in the same country as all the clubs who have shown an interest in signing him.With his Bournemouth contract having a £65million release clause that becomes active in the first two weeks of January, Manchester City have scored 20 Premier League goals since the start of last season.Chelsea and Tottenham have now moved on to other targets, but could Liverpool or Manchester United try to steal their rivals' late march?If so, they need to be stepped up.
The English defender played for Crystal Palace in the first half of the season, despite having his move rejected by Liverpool in August.Gehi has announced his intention to leave the club on a free transfer this summer, but Palace could lure them away in January in a final chance to move the captain and his money, which includes Manchester City on his long-term list.Gehi will be leaving under manager Oliver Glasner, but the Austrian is yet to sign his own contract extension and could be released at the end of the season.
Thomas Frank insisted after Tottenham's win over Crystal Palace on Sunday that the Welshman is still an "important player", although it is understood they are open to selling him for a reasonable price in January.Johnson has started just six Premier League games this season and could be forgiven for being disappointed at his lack of action as he finished as top scorer under Aung Post Koglo last year.Bournemouth are leading the race for the 24-year-old, and Spurs are thought to be offering him a good deal.40m Aston Villa, Brentford and Crystal Palace are also believed to be among the clubs that have shown an interest.
The Portugal midfielder has been in Saudi Arabia since 2023 after spending six years at Wolves but is on his way back to the Premier League next month.Still only 28, Neves has yet to sign a new deal with Al-Hilal despite an offer on the table for weeks and is out of contract in the summer.Manchester United - who want to sign one of Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba or Adam Wharton in the summer - and Liverpool have both been shown interest, while there are reports in Spain that Neves could accept a pay cut to join Real Madrid.
Marc-André ter Stegen
Hansi Flick explained that his compatriot is now Barcelona's third-choice goalkeeper behind Joan García and Wojciech Szczesny, and a January move looks likely for the 33-year-old.Ter Stegen has been at Camp Nou since 2014 and has made more than 400 appearances, but fell out with the club's coach in the summer and then needed back surgery which kept him out for three months.There has been talk of a move to Aston Villa, but that doesn't seem likely now, with clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia also linked in recent days.
There are plenty of Premier League clubs to suit Toney's intentions in the second half of the season: the 29-year-old has completed 28 years in the league with a year-and-a-half at Al-Ahly in Saudi Arabia and is keen to return if he wants a chance to make the World Cup squad in England.The problem is that Al-Ahly don't want to sell Toni and he earns £400,000 a week so he would be very difficult to agree to.Everton and Tottenham have both been linked, while Manchester United have also been linked.Interest for a long time.
It was reported that 16 Premier League clubs made inquiries over the summer to sign the former Chelsea midfielder, but he ended up staying at Atlético Madrid.The 25-year-old has made just four La Liga starts this season and is believed to be looking to boost his chances at the World Cup, so interest is likely to increase in the coming weeks.Manchester United have been heavily linked and Crystal Palace would also like to re-sign the player, who played on loan at Selhurst Park under Patrick Vieira in 2021-22, but may not be able to afford his wage demands this time around.
Elliott was named player of the tournament at this summer's European Under-21 Championship thanks to his excellent performances but has made just six appearances since joining Aston Villa on loan early on.Unai Emery has already stated that there is no chance he will perform well enough to make a permanent move to Villa for £35m at the end of the season.As Elliott has already played for them and Liverpool this season, he cannot join another club until next summer and a return to Anfield could be the only solution.
The flashy Turkish striker has scored seven goals and provided six assists in 23 appearances for Juventus this season and has yet to sign a new contract with the Italian giants, who are looking to keep him under contract until 2031.Juventus are expected to continue talks with his father and representatives over the next few days, but they are hoping not to lose one of the world's most promising young players.
The flame-haired midfielder has drawn comparisons with Kevin De Bruyne for obvious reasons and was named Europe's under-19 player of the tournament in the summer as Holland lifted the title for the first time.Smith has since been regular at Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar and is expected to be called up for this summer's World Cup.The 19-year-old looks set to leave in January, with Newcastle expected to compete with Real Madrid for AZ's record transfer fee of around £22million.
