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Two Chelsea deals in top 10
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The January transfer window is now open. Clubs across the market are actively trying to improve their squads with new arrivals but it’s notoriously difficult to seal major deals in January compared to the summer market. Financial Fair Play (FFP) and the Premier League's profit and sustainability restrictions are limiting several Premier League clubs’ ability to spend in January and many will need to offload players before reinvesting.
It's been a really quiet January window so far with Manchester City's €75m acquisition of Antoine Semenyo the biggest deal of the window. Semenyo's move to Pep Guardiola's side ranks amongst the top ten January deals in history but where does it land? So let's find out!
Top 10 most expensive January transfers in history
Philippe Coutinho moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for €135m in January 2018 and it remains the January transfer record. After Neymar joined PSG in the previous summer, Barcelona had money to spend on a replacement, but Coutinho’s move never quite worked out. The Brazilian scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists in 106 appearances for the Spanish giants before departing permanently for €20m to Aston Villa in 2022. As the graphic below illustrates, Enzo Fernández's €121m move to Chelsea ranks second with Benfica banking an eye-watering fee.
Liverpool's acquisition of Virgil van Dijk for €84.7m is unquestionably the most successful on the top ten list. The Netherlands international was integral to Liverpool winning the Premier League twice and the Champions League. Dušan Vlahović and John Duran complete the top five but both striker's failed to hit the heights after their moves. Semenyo's move to Man City is the only deal from this January to feature.
