The top 15 transfer signings of the January 2025 window

The January transfer window never seems to produce the same level of excitement as the summer one. Some clubs feel like they don’t need to do business midway through a season, while others dread it in case a bigger side targets one of their in-form stars.

Of course, there have been a few exceptions in recent years. Who can forget Chelsea’s spending spree in January 2023? Eight players were signed as the Blues spent in excess of £250m to bolster their squad.

January 2011 also provided plenty of excitement, as Chelsea splashed out £50m to sign Fernando Torres from Liverpool. The Anfield side subsequently used this cash to bring in Andy Carroll and Luis Suárez.

This year, however, there have only been a few major deals. We have taken a look at the biggest ones of the window.

15

Emmanuel Agbadou

Reims to Wolves (£16.6m)

Emmanuel Agbadou became Vitor Pereira’s first signing since taking over at Wolves. The centre-back cost the Old Gold £16.6m as the Portuguese manager bolstered his defensive options.

The Ivory Coast international arrives with plenty of experience, having made 75 appearances in Ligue 1 for Stade Reims and he could be a crucial signing as Wolves aim to avoid relegation.

14

Claudinho

Zenit to Al-Sadd (£16.7m)

Claudinho spent three and a half seasons with Zenit St Petersburg, scoring 21 goals for the club during his time in Russia.

The Brazilian – who helped his country win Olympic gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – made the move to Qatari side Al-Sadd, who paid €20m (£16.7m) to secure his services.

13

Seko Fofana

Al-Nassr to Rennes (£16.7m)

Seko Fofana made his return to Ligue 1 by agreeing a €20m (£16.7m) deal to join Rennes from Al-Nassr.

The 29-year-old helped his country win the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, while he has also played 139 matches in the French top flight, suggesting he could turn out to be an excellent signing for Rennes.

12

Amine Gouiri

Rennes to Marseille (£18.4m)

Rennes spending big on Fofana meant that an outgoing was always on the cards. Ligue 1 rivals Marseille spent a reported €22m (£18.4m) including add-ons to sign attacker Amine Gouiri, with Elye Wahi having recently departed the Velodrome.

Gouiri, whose deal includes €3m worth of potential add-ons, will now link up with former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi in the south of France.

11

Jaden Philogene

Aston Villa to Ipswich (£20m)

Jaden Philogene only sealed a return to Aston Villa last summer, yet Unai Emery didn’t give him a fair crack of the whip over the first six months of the season.

Ipswich Town came in with a £20m bid, which was too good to turn down. The youngster has plenty of talent, and he could be a solid signing for the Tractor Boys as they aim to avoid relegation back to the Championship.

10

Donyell Malen

Borussia Dortmund to Aston Villa (£21m)

Unai Emery selling Philogene for £20m and signing Donyell Malen to replace him for £21.5m could be a wise piece of transfer business by the manager.

The 26-year-old has a plethora of experience playing in Europe, starring for both Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven, scoring 94 goals across 248 appearances for both clubs.

If he hits the ground running, Malen could turn out to be one of Emery’s finest signings at Villa Park.

9

Elye Wahi

Marseille to Frankfurt (£24.2m)

Eintracht Frankfurt sold Omar Marmoush to Manchester City, which meant they needed to sign an able replacement. Step forward, Elye Wahi. The French centre-forward joined the German side for a fee in the region of €29m including add-ons (£24.2m) from Marseille.

Injury problems had restricted the 22-year-old to just 14 appearances and three goals for the Ligue 1 side, but perhaps a fresh start in Germany could see him finally fulfil his vast potential.

8

Luiz Henrique

Botafogo to Zenit (£29.3m)

Luiz Henrique departed Brazilian side Botafogo to join Zenit in a deal worth a reported €35m (£29m).

The 24-year-old has won six caps for Brazil, scoring twice for his country, while he also helped Botafogo claim the Copa Libertadores for the first time in November 2024.

Henrique has played in Europe before, enjoying a productive two-year spell at Real Betis, which could stand him in good stead following his move to Russia.

7

Vitor Reis

Palmeiras to Man City (£29.6m)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wasted no time in bulking out his squad during the January transfer window. Brazilian defender Vitor Reis joined in a £29.6m deal from Palmeiras.

The 19-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract, despite making only 22 appearances for the Brazilian side. It is very much a transfer for the future, but what a future he has.

6

Abdukodir Khusanov

Lens to Man City (£33.6m)

Reis wasn’t the only defender signed by Manchester City this month. Abdukodir Khusanov made history by becoming the first Uzbekistan defender to play in the Premier League.

Costing £33.6m from Lens, Guardiola has signed yet another promising talent, who could develop into a world-class centre-back.

5

Galeno

Porto to Al-Ahli (£41.8m)

Brazilian winger Galeno has become one of the latest transfer coups from the Saudi Pro League, with Al-Ahli spending a reported €50m (£41.8m) on luring the attacker from Porto.

The winger bagged 12 goals this term before Porto sanctioned his departure, which will see him link up with the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino in Saudi Arabia.

Galeno leaves the Portuguese giants having won eight major honours, including two league titles.

4

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Napoli to PSG (£59m)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia left Italian side Napoli this month, joining Paris Saint-Germain for £59m.

There had been plenty of interest shown in the Georgian winger ever since he inspired Napoli to the Serie A title during the 2022/23 campaign, but it is the French side who won the battle for his signature.

Could he be the catalyst which finally sees the capital club win their first Champions League title? The next few months will be interesting indeed in Paris.

3

Omar Marmoush

Frankfurt to Man City (£63m)

Erling Haaland was the only recognised centre-forward at Man City, indicating that they needed some competition for the Norwegian.

Omar Marmoush joined the Etihad side from Eintracht Frankfurt, paying a fee of £63m to secure his signature after a wonderful first half of the season in Germany.

In just 27 games for the Bundesliga outfit, the Egyptian striker scored 20 goals while contributing with 14 assists as Frankfurt chased a Champions League spot for next season.

His arrival in Manchester could well help the club embark on a run of form which enables them to move up the table as much as possible between now and the end of the season.

2

Xavi Simons

PSG to RB Leipzig (£67.7m)

RB Leipzig finally took the plunge and signed Xavi Simons from PSG, some 18 months after his initial loan spell in Germany began.

Simons has battled injuries this term, but has still proved his worth to the side, even amid their struggles in the Champions League, where they were eliminated at the league phase.

According to The Athletic, while Leipzig are paying an initial €50m (£41.8m) for his services, the deal could rise to as much as €81m (£67.7m), trumping almost every January window deal in the process.

1

Jhon Duran

Aston Villa to Al-Nassr (£71m)

Jhon Duran sealed an eye-boggling £71m move to Al-Nassr towards the end of the transfer window, bringing an end to a tumultuous few months for the Colombian at Aston Villa.

Having looked to be on the move in the summer, the striker transformed into something of an impact-sub specialist, grabbing plenty of goals off the bench.

And his departure comes at a time when Villa’s strikeforce was undergoing drastic changes, with rumours still hanging over the future of Ollie Watkins amid interest from Arsenal, which followed the previous arrival of Donyell Malen.

As for Duran, the 21-year-old now becomes a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.