Manchester City and Aston Villa made big moves just before the midseason transfer window closed on Monday.
Four-time defending Premier League champion City secured a late deal for Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez for a reported $61.8 million, while three-time Champions League winner Marco Asensio joined Villa on loan to the end of the season.
Uncertainty over Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel finally ended when he completed a loan move to Tottenham with the option of a permanent deal in the summer.
Paris Saint-Germain was one of the most active clubs during the window by signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli and releasing several players.
The Columbus Crew completed the permanent transfer of MLS All-Star forward Juan Camilo “Cucho” Hernández to Real Betis for an undisclosed fee.
Man City goes big to salvage season
City usually makes its moves in the offseason. But in a bid to rescue a campaign that unraveled at the end of last year and was derailed again in a 5-1 loss at Arsenal, City spent big in January on five new signings. Gonazalez took its outlay past $200 million.
City signed Egypt forward Omar Marmoush for $73 million and defenders Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and Vitor Reis for a combined $77 million. Christian McFarlane, an 18-year-old left back, joined from sister club New York City FC while captain Kyle Walker left for AC Milan.
Gonzalez’s arrival finally gives City a defensive midfielder in the mold of Rodri — the Ballon d’Or holder who was ruled out for the season in September because of an ACL injury.
The Premier League title seems well beyond City, which is 15 points behind leader Liverpool, and a Champions League bid has been made extra difficult after being drawn against holder Real Madrid in the playoffs. But City manager Pep Guardiola will hope the new additions can return the club to the Champions League next season.
PSG re-enters the ‘galactico’ market
Paris Saint-Germain has lost much of its star appeal in recent years following the departures of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. A shift in strategy has seen the Qatar-backed club focus more on younger and French talents rather than superstar names.
But the Kvaratskhelia deal for a reported fee of around $72 million represents another marquee signing.
The Georgia forward isn’t at the level of Messi and Neymar, but he has long been among the most sought-after players in Europe with thrilling, match-winning qualities.
PSG offloaded striker Randal Kolo Muani — a $101 million signing last season — to Juventus on loan, and central defender Milan Skriniar to Fenerbahce, and Asensio.
Villa’s Champions League push
Through to the Champions League last 16, Aston Villa boosted its attacking options in the form of Marcus Rashford and Asensio.
Rashford was one of the big stories of the window after falling out of favor at Manchester United. Despite being linked with clubs across Europe, he secured a loan to Villa for the rest of the season.
If Unai Emery can get the best out of the former England international, he could prove to be an inspired signing in terms of Villa’s Champions League campaign and push for a top four finish. Meanwhile, in former Real Madrid midfielder Asensio, Villa has a player with Champions League-winning knowhow.
Relief for Barcelona
Rather than bringing in new players, Barcelona’s biggest challenge was registering two it already owned.
Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor were registered only after the government sports authority intervened. The Spanish league and the federation had denied Barcelona’s request to re-register the duo because it missed the end-of-year deadline to comply with salary cap rules.
Barcelona accused the league of making unrealistic requests for extra documentation and said payment for VIP seating at the new Camp Nou stadium became available only on Jan. 3. That payment allowed the club to comply with the league’s financial fair play rules.
