Transferuri Campionate Externe

Besiktas sign free agent Babel

Besiktas have confirmed the signing of former Liverpool and Ajax winger Ryan Babel on a 2-and-a-half-year contract.

The Dutchman had been searching for a new club following the expiry of a short-term contract at Deportivo La Coruna, for whom he scored 4 goals in 11 La Liga appearances.

Babel's move to Besiktas represents a return to Turkey for the 30-year-old, who spent 2 seasons at Kasimpasa from 2013 to 2015.

The 42-cap Holland international scored 14 goals during that spell and will hope to rediscover that form as second place Besiktas chase the Super Lig title.

The defending champions are one point adrift of surprise leaders Istanbul Basaksehir after 16 matches.

Babel will be paid €1,2 million during the 2016-2017 season before picking up €2,1 million in each of the subsequent 2 campaigns.

Leicester reach agreement for Ndidi transfer

Leicester City have reached an agreement with KRC Genk for the transfer of Wilfred Ndidi, subject to a work permit being granted.

The Premier League champions confirmed that the midfielder has agreed personal terms on a 5-and-a-half-year deal that runs until June 2022.

Ndidi has already undergone his medical at the King Power Stadium and Leicester expect the formalities of his transfer to be completed later this week.

The 20-year-old has spent the past 2 seasons in the Belgian Pro League after joining Genk on his 18th birthday and helped the club finish top of Group F in the Europa League this season.

Since selling N'Golo Kante to Chelsea in July, Leicester have lacked the bite the France midfielder provided in their remarkable title-winning season.

Tianjin Quanjian confirm Witsel transfer

Zenit Sankt Petersburg have announced that midfielder Axel Witsel has joined Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian.

The Belgium international said this week that he had received a lucrative proposal from the Chinese Super League that was too good for him and his family to turn down.

The Russian giants have since confirmed that Witsel will join newly promoted Tianjin, coached by former Italy star Fabio Cannavaro.

Witsel had been expected to join Serie A Juventus, who have long-since courted the 27-year-old, before his head was turned by Tianjin's offer.

FC Torino make Falque deal permanent, sign Iturbe on loan

FC Torino have exercised their purchase option on Iago Falque and signed Juan Iturbe on loan from AS Roma.

Winger Falque joined Torino on loan from AS Roma with an option to make the deal permanent back in July.

The Spaniard has since scored 8 goals in 15 Serie A appearances, with his performances convincing Torino to use their option to buy him outright.

Striker Iturbe has endured a difficult career at Roma, who he joined in 2014 from Hellas Verona.

The Argentina-born Paraguay international has scored just 3 league goals in 44 appearances and spent the second half of last season on loan at Premier League side Bournemouth, but featured only twice.

But, should he impress at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, then the club will be able to make his deal permanent, with a purchase option included in his loan contract.

FC Sevilla bring in Lenglet

FC Sevilla have agreed to sign defender France U21 defender Clement Lenglet from Nancy on a 4-and-a-half-year deal.

The 21-year-old centre-back is due to complete his medical with the La Liga club later on Thursday.

Lenglet made his Nancy debut in 2013 and, having progressed to captain the side that returned to Ligue 1 this season, he has chalked up a total of 84 senior appearances.

Sevilla are reported to have paid an initial fee of €4,5 million for Lenglet, whose arrival comes after countryman Timothee Kolodziejczak left the reigning 3-time Europa League winners to join Borussia Monchengladbach.



The 25-year-old has signed a contract running until June 2021 with the Bundesliga side.

Reports suggest the fee for Kolodziejczak is in the region of €8 million to €10 million.

Wolfsburg replace Draxler with Malli

Yunus Malli has been selected as the player to fill the void left by Julian Draxler's departure from VfL Wolfsburg, leaving FSV Mainz to sign a 4-and-a-half-year contract.

The Turkey international had regularly been linked with a move away from Opel ArenA after a particularly impressive season in the Bundesliga last year, scoring 11 goals from 34 appearances as an attacking midfielder.

But the Volkswagen ArenA is his destination after a similarly effective start to the campaign which has seen him score 6 times and set up another 6 in 16 league outings.

Malli is the club's first new addition since seeing Draxler depart for Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in a deal reportedly worth €40 million, and the Turk - who will wear the Germany international's number 10 jersey - is rumoured to be arriving for €12,5 million.

Tianjin TEDA confirm Obi Mikel transfer

John Obi Mikel has announced he is leaving Chelsea to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA.

The midfielder confirmed his departure on social media, saying it was "time for me to say goodbye" after 10 years at Stamford Bridge and having made 374 appearances for the Blues.

Mikel joined Chelsea as a 19-year-old from Norwegian Premier League side Lyn in 2006 but has not made a single appearance under Antonio Conte this season, and the Nigeria international admitted playing time was a factor in his decision to leave.

"As you will know, I haven't featured as much this season as I would have liked, and at 29-years-old I still have many years in the game ahead of me", Mikel said in a statement.

"With this in mind, I feel now is the time to seek a new challenge."

Mikel has won 11 trophies during his time at Chelsea, including 2 Premier League titles, and the player paid tribute to club owner Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea fans for helping him achieve such success, highlighting the club's Champions League Final win in 2012 against Bayern Munchen as one of his proudest moments.

"To Mr. Abramovich, the club's staff, coaches, physios, and to the managers I played under Chelsea, I want to say thank you", Mikel added.

"But my biggest thanks must go to the Blues fans. You brought me into the Chelsea family, you sung my name, and were there with us every step of the way. Thanks to your support, on nights like in Munchen, you made the impossible possible."

Melo joins Palmeiras

Palmeiras have finally announced that Inter Milano midfielder Felipe Melo signed a contract with them to June 2019.

This move had been expected for a couple of weeks, but was only completed this afternoon.

The club and Melo had been exchanging Twitter hints, including emojis of pen-to-paper and the "pig" nickname of Palmeiras.

The 33-year-old said he is "fulfilling a dream of returning to Brazil at an age that allows me to run and do what I love most without problems", he told palmeiras.com.

Torino sign Carlao

Cypriot side APOEL have announced that defender Carlao is due to join FC Torino in the next few days.

A statement on APOEL's official website confirmed Carlao had agreed terms with Torino and that the Granata would have to pay the 30-year-old's release clause by 10 January.

The Brazilian has been with the Cypriot champions since 2014 and also played for French outfit Sochaux and Corinthians in his homeland.

Chelsea recall Ake from Bournemouth loan

Nathan Ake has been recalled by Premier League leaders Chelsea from his loan spell at Bournemouth.

The 21-year-old defender joined Eddie Howe's side on a season-long loan deal last June and has impressed on the south coast, prompting Antonio Conte to bring him back to the Blues.

Conte had described Ake as a "very interesting opportunity" in the January transfer window as he looks to keep Chelsea at the top of the table and the Italian has now made the decision to bring him into his squad.

Ake played 24 Premier League games on loan at Watford last season and made a further 10 top flight appearances for Bournemouth in 2016-2017.

The Holland U21 international has played for Chelsea 5 times in the Premier League, the last of those appearances coming in May 2015, and he is now set to be involved in their title chase.

Ntep fills Draxler void at Wolfsburg

VfL Wolfsburg have announced the signing of Paul-Georges Ntep from Rennes for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old France international has signed a 4-and-a-half-year deal to become the Bundesliga club's 4th signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of Yunus Malli, Victor Osimhen and Riechedly Bazoer.

Ntep could make his debut in the league clash with SV Hamburg at the Volkswagen ArenA on 21 January.

FC Sevilla loan Jovetic from Inter

FC Sevilla have secured the services of Stevan Jovetic from Inter Milano on a loan deal until the end of the season, which includes an option to make the move permanent.

The La Liga side had been keeping an eye on the 27-year-old ever since he impressed for Partizan Belgrade at a youth tournament in Albacete in August 2006, but previously failed to lure him to Spain.

Jovetic eventually left Partizan for Fiorentina and then went on to join Manchester City before returning to Italy with Inter in July 2015.

The attacker made an encouraging start to life at Meazza, but struggled to secure regular first-team action this term, first being deemed surplus to requirements by Frank de Boer, before being told by new coach Stefano Pioli that he was no longer needed.

Jovetic has consequently opted to move on and will now be looking to relaunch his career at Sevilla.

Genoa complete Taarabt loan deal

Genoa have completed a loan deal for Benfica forward Adel Taarabt as the club seeks to end a dismal run of form and climb into the top half of Serie A.

The Rossoblu have lost 4 of their last 5 domestic matches and failed to score in 3 of those, but coach Ivan Juric will hope the arrival of playmaker Taarabt enhances his side's attacking threat.

Morocco international Taarabt started his career at Lens, before making a name for himself when Tottenham Hotspur loaned him out to Queens Park Rangers in the Championship.

Taarabt scored 33 league goals in 150 appearances for the Hoops but was later loaned out to Fulham and then to AC Milan before eventually signing a 5-year contract at Benfica in 2015.

Since joining the club, the 27-year-old has scored just once for Benfica B in Segunda Liga, and he will be looking to make a bright start to his second spell in Serie A - he scored after just 8 minutes of his Milan debut in January 2014.

Gagliardini completes Inter switch

Inter Milano have confirmed the signing of Atalanta midfielder Roberto Gagliardini on a loan deal until the end of next season which will become a transfer worth an estimated €22 million.

Gagliardini has broken into Giampiero Ventura's Italy squad this season, having only cemented himself in Atalanta's squad this campaign.

The move to Meazza caps a stratospheric rise for the 22-year-old, who is yet to make his senior international bow, despite being called up for recent fixtures with Liechtenstein and Germany.

Gagliardini has only played 14 games in Serie A, but he has suitably impressed Inter as they continue to overhaul their squad under new Chinese ownership.

Joao Mario, Gabriel Barbosa and Antonio Candreva were all costly imports ahead of a campaign which has seen Frank de Boer come and go in the hot seat before Stefano Pioli has steadied the ship.

Celtic seal deal for rising star Eboue



Celtic have completed the signing of Kouassi Eboue from FC Krasnodar.

The 19-year-old midfielder has signed a 4-year contract with the Scottish champions for a reported fee of £2,8 million.

Rodgers said this week that he needed only 10 seconds to realise Eboue's potential and compared him to two star players during his time at Liverpool - Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho.

"He is one of those young players I look at with the same feeling I had as when I saw a young Coutinho or a young Sterling", said Rodgers.

Juventus complete Caldara deal

Juventus have confirmed the signing of Atalanta defender Mattia Caldara in a deal that could be worth up to €25 million.

Caldara will spend the next 18 months back on loan at Atalanta, before joining Juve on a deal that runs until 2021.

The centre-back has scored 3 goals in 11 Serie A games this season.

The Scudetto holders will pay Atalanta an initial €15 million, with €6 million in bonuses that can be triggered when he is a Juve player and a further €4 million that depend on his success back in Bergamo.

Atalanta have surprised many in Serie A this season, sitting 6th in the table in between AC Milan and Inter after half of the campaign.

Cleverley joins Watford on loan

Watford have signed Tom Cleverley on loan from Everton until the end of the season.

The deal contains an option for the Hornets to sign the former Manchester United midfielder on a permanent basis.

Cleverley spent a season at Watford in 2009-2010 during his time as a United player, scoring 11 times in 33 Championship appearances.

The 27-year-old, capped 13 times by England, joined Everton on a free transfer before the start of last season but has found first-team opportunities this term hard to come by under Ronald Koeman.

Niasse and Evandro join Hull City

Premier League strugglers Hull City have completed the signings of Oumar Niasse and Evandro.

Striker Niasse joins on loan from Everton until the end of the season, while attacking midfielder Evandro has signed on a permanent deal from FC Porto, with his contract running until 2019.

The additions come as a huge boost to Hull after attacking midfielder Markus Henriksen was ruled out for up to 3 months with a shoulder injury he sustained against Manchester United on Tuesday.

Niasse, 26-year-old, will hope to revive his career after an unsuccessful year at Everton.

He signed in a £13,5 million deal from Lokomotiv Moscow last February but only played 5 times - with 2 starts - in the Premier League last season.

Things have got worse in 2016-2017 - Niasse has not made a single first-team appearance and played exclusively for the U23 side.

Widespread reports suggest Hull have an option to buy him on a permanent £10 million deal.

Evandro, meanwhile, arrives after only starting 8 league matches in 2-and-a-half years at Porto.

The 30-year-old had joined FC Porto from Estoril, where he impressed under Marco Silva, Hull's new head coach.

Schlupp seals Crystal Palace switch

Crystal Palace have announced the signing of Jeffrey Schlupp from Leicester City for a reported fee of £12,5 million.

The 24-year-old has agreed a 4-and-a-half-year deal at Selhurst Park after completing a medical.

The Ghana international, who progressed through the Leicester youth system, made 24 league appearances last season as Claudio Ranieri's side claimed a shock title triumph.

Schlupp burst onto the scene with a hat-trick on his debut as an 18-year-old in an EFL Cup tie with Rotherham United in August 2011. He went on to score 15 goals in a total of 149 first-team appearances.

Bayern complete swoop for Hoffenheim duo Sule and Rudy

Bayern Munchen have reached agreements to sign TSG Hoffenheim duo Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy at the end of this season.

Sule, a 21-year-old centre-back has secured a 5-year deal for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Midfielder Rudy, 26-year-old, moves on a free transfer and will spend the next 3 seasons at the Allianz ArenA.

Sule won his first and, as yet, only Germany cap in the friendly against Finland last August, while Rudy has played 14 times for the World champions.

Both men have been first-team regulars this term, with Hoffenheim lying fifth in the Bundesliga and remaining unbeaten at the mid-season break.

West Ham flop Zaza snapped up by Valencia

Juventus have revealed the cost of Simone Zaza's move to Valencia could eventually reach €20 million.

The Italy international had his loan spell with West Ham ended prematurely after he failed to score in 11 matches across all competitions.

Serie A leaders Juve had no place for the misfiring Zaza in their squad and promptly loaned him out again on Sunday - this time to Valencia, who are struggling down in 17th place in La Liga.

But Juve are still in line to make some impressive money from Zaza having confirmed the financial details of his move in a statement on Monday.

Valencia have made an initial payment of €2 million and will have to make a further outlay of €16 million to make the deal permanent if the forward passes an unspecified appearance threshold.

There is also a potential further amount of €2 million payable depending on the success of Zaza in Spain.

Zaza, 25-year-old, could make his Valencia debut in Saturday's derby match at Villarreal.

Deportivo bring in Kakuta

Gael Kakuta has left Hebei China Fortune to join Deportivo La Coruna's La Liga relegation fight in the wake of new Chinese Super League regulations relating to how many overseas players teams can include.

The 25-year-old French winger has agreed a switch on loan to the Riazor until the end of this season.

Former Chelsea youngster Kakuta has previous experience in Spain's top flight via spells at Rayo Vallecano and FC Sevilla and he joins a Deportivo side lying 15th - 6 points above the bottom three, although they are unbeaten in their past 6 matches across all competitions.

Kakuta joined Hebei last year having made only 5 first-team appearances for Sevilla during an injury plagued half-season, scoring once.

He played 24 times and netted twice in his debut CSL campaign but leaves a competition that has experienced a high-profile influx of foreign talent on big wages - a phenomenon that prompted the Chinese Football Association (CFA) to act earlier this week.

Having seen the likes of Carlos Tevez, Oscar and Axel Witsel move to secure huge pay packets, the CFA hit out at "irrational" investments by clubs and altered its rules in a way designed to encourage the development of domestic talent.

In 2017, clubs will be able to name 5 foreign players in their matchday 18, with only 3 on the field at any one time. There must be two U23 players selected in the squad, with at least one of the homegrown duo in the starting XI.

Last season, CSL clubs operated under the "four plus one" quota, where 5 foreign players were allowed in the squad, with one of those from another country within the Asian Football Confederation. The Asian player quota has been abolished under the new regulations.

Kakuta's departure means Hebei coach Manuel Pellegrini has 5 overseas players at his disposal - former Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain star Ezequiel Lavezzi, Ivory Coast forward Gervinho, Cameroon midfielder Stephane Mbia, Brazilian striker Aloisio and Turkish centre-back Ersan Gulum.

Swansea snap up Carroll and Olsson

Relegation-threatened Swansea City have bolstered their squad with the signings of Tom Carroll and Martin Olsson.

The Welsh club are bottom of the Premier League and one point adrift of safety, with their third head coach of the season, Paul Clement, tasked with rescuing their top flight status.

And he now has more to work with after Carroll and Olsson each signed on Tuesday.

Carroll, who spent the 2014-2015 season on loan at Swansea from Tottenham, has left White Hart Lane to sign a 3-and-a-half-year deal.

Olsson joins from Championship side Norwich City, the Sweden international arriving on a 2-and-a-half-year deal.

Stoke agree Berahino deal

Stoke City have agreed a deal with West Bromwich Albion for the transfer of Saido Berahino.

Berahino is free to discuss terms with Stoke in a move that reportedly could cost up to £15 million including add-ons.

The 23-year-old has become a peripheral figure at The Hawthorns this season, concerns over his attitude and fitness consigning him to just 5 appearances in all competitions this season.

Berahino was believed to be closing in on a move to Tottenham last year, but the bet365 Stadium is now set to be his next destination.

Berahino's last appearance came in September, before he was sent to training camps in France twice in a bid to boost his condition.

The former England U21 international's contract with West Bromwich is set to expire and the end of the season.

Berahino's breakout season came in 2014-2015 when he scored 20 goals in 45 appearances, but he has failed to maintain that momentum.

Hull loan Elabdellaoui

Hull City have signed Norway international Omar Elabdellaoui on loan from Olympiacos, the Greek club announced on Friday.

The right-back arrives at the KCOM Stadium to provide cover for the injured Moses Odubajo and Ahmed Elmohamady, who is away with Egypt at the African Cup of Nations.

Elabdellaoui worked under current Hull manager Marco Silva during his time in Greece, where he made 66 appearances in all competitions, scoring 4 goals.

It was earlier confirmed that Jake Livermore had left Hull to join West Bromwich.

Fonte completes West Ham switch

West Ham have completed the signing of Southampton defender Jose Fonte for a fee of £8 million.

Fonte had signalled his desire to leave St. Mary's Stadium by handing in a transfer request earlier this month and West Ham quickly emerged as favourites for his signature.

The Hammers have now confirmed that Fonte, who won EURO 2016 with Portugal last year, has signed a 2-and-a-half-year deal at London Stadium, with the option of a further 12 months.

Fonte joined Southampton in 2010 from Crystal Palace and the 33-year-old centre-back climbed from League One to the Premier League with the Saints, before making his international debut in 2014.