January Transfer Truths: Predicting what will and won’t happen before Friday’s deadline

Tottenham are looking for a short-term fix to replace the injured Harry Kane, while Manchester United are in the same boat with Marcus Rashford currently out.

It could get desperate.

Leicester striker Islam Slimani, currently on loan at Monaco, has been linked with a move to United. So too former Watford striker Odion Ighalo, who plays in China for Shanghai Shenhua. Although only temporary solutions, they are hardly names to inspire a fanbase growing increasingly irritated with their club’s fortunes on and off the pitch.

Spurs, meanwhile, are said to be closing in on a £21m move for PSV Eindhoven forward Steven Bergwijn, with AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek also a reported target. Permanent options, it would appear, given Kane has needed goalscoring assistance for some time.

And let’s not forget Chelsea. The extent of Tammy Abraham’s ankle injury is not yet known, but Frank Lampard is still in the market for a striker.

Lyon’s Moussa Dembele continues to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but the club are also reportedly eyeing Piatek. Chelsea saw a £34m bid for Dembele rejected earlier this month – only time will tell if they go back in for the Frenchman or turn to £25m option Piatek.

Then there is Edinson Cavani, nearing a move to Atletico Madrid after being left out of Paris Saint-Germain’s squad on Sunday. The Uruguayan was said to be on Chelsea and United’s ‘radar’, but both look set to miss out on arguably the most attractive forward option available.

Therefore, as the clock ticks down the search could get frantic.

United may yet appease their goalscoring fears if they sign Sporting’s Bruno Fernandes, but the need for out-and-out strikers this window is greater than what’s available.

A prediction? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will insist United have enough strength from within, Spurs will sign Bergwijn, and Chelsea will fail with a mad deadline-day scramble for Dembele and settle for Piatek.

This will, of course, all be wrong.

A whole host of clubs, including Real Madrid and Liverpool, have been linked with RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.

Deemed ‘hot property’, the 23-year-old German international could well be subject to deadline-day interest from the aforementioned Premier League clubs, but Leipzig will stand firm. Mainly because they are sitting first in the Bundesliga – one point above Bayern Munich – but also as their Champions League last-16 meeting with Tottenham is around the corner.

Meanwhile, as reported in Monday’s Paper Round, both Arsenal and Everton are interested in signing Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez on loan.

The Colombian has struggled for game time under Zinedine Zidane this season, but the main issues has been injuries, and it is tough to see either Arsenal or Everton pushing hard enough to make this prospective transfer a reality.

Rodriguez’s team-mate Gareth Bale will also stay put. The Welshman’s agent said Bale will see out the remaining two-and-a-half years of his Real Madrid contract.

That will not stop rumours resurfacing in the summer, but the chances of him moving in the mid-season window are slim to nil.

Talk of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving Arsenal for Real Madrid feels speculative at best, and it is very hard to see Mikel Arteta parting with his captain even if a big offer comes in.

As ever, moves of such magnitude are difficult to pull off because the team selling will want options to buy of their own. The idea of Aubameyang selling their star striker to then join Chelsea, United and Spurs in the hunt seems very far-fetched.

Two years ago Olivier Giroud was deemed the answer to Chelsea’s striker shortcomings when joining from Arsenal on deadline day in January.

He was used as a makeweight for Arsenal to land Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back then, and now it appears he will be a pawn once more as Chelsea seek a striker capable of challenging Abraham for the starting spot.

With Euro 2020 around the corner, it seems likely Giroud will move on so he can secure a place in France’s squad, but talk of Inter being interested in the 33-year-old is somewhat surprising.

Inter have Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez up front, who have 25 Serie A goals between them this year, and this partnership is unlikely to be broken by Giroud, for whom the bench – once more – awaits should he go to Italy.

An easy prediction (cue frenzy over private plane flying from Manchester to Madrid on Friday evening), helped by the fact Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola suggested the Manchester United midfielder’s future will be resolved in the summer.

Real Madrid and Juventus have been linked with the Frenchman for what feels like years now, but a persistent ankle problem has halted talk of a prospective move.

Pogba has played just eight games all season, and as Raiola points out, his client’s future could well be depend on how United end the season. Will he move on if they fail to secure Champions League football? You would have to say it’s likely.

“Everybody knows the ambition from both parts is not being met the last years,” Raiola told Sky Sports earlier this month.

“We need to see in the summer if Paul is still in the plans of United and if United is still in the plans of Paul.”