The biggest moves you may have missed during the transfer window, from Neymar to Loris Karius
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Published 05/02/2025 at 08:34 GMT
The deal-making in January (and early February) was as frenetic as always, and it can often be hard to keep up with all the transfers going on around the globe. Here, we have a look at five of the biggest moves you might have missed over the last month or so. Fear not, though, transfer fans, there are lots of windows still open, with lots more deal-making to be done.
New club, new Neymar? Brazilian star returns home to Santos
Video credit: SNTV
Another January, another manic transfer window in the UK. Deadline Day came and went with a wintry blizzard of deals on Monday and if we are honest, it was hard to keep pace with it all.
With that in mind, we have rounded up a selection of the biggest moves you might have missed over the month, from bank-busting mega-deals to quiet free transfers and surprise loan moves.
Our globe-trotting journey takes us through four continents and seven countries.
It features some of the sport's biggest names, some names that have slipped out of the spotlight and a scattering of potential future stars.
Of course, you can refresh your memory of every deal that happened on Deadline Day right here.
But for now, let's dive into our finest hand-picked selection from all of January and a touch of early February...
Randal Kolo Muani: PSG to Juventus
In desperate need of a backup option to Dusan Vlahovic, Juventus sealed an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to bring in France striker Kolo Muani on a dry loan to the end of the season.
It came after interest from Manchester United and Tottenham, with the Italians ultimately winning the race.
There are no bells and whistles attached to the deal to make it permanent in the summer, but that hasn't stopped Kolo Muani from hitting the ground running in Turin.
The 26-year-old has already scored more goals in Serie A this season in two games than he managed in 14 for PSG in all competitions.
He found the net against Napoli on his debut - a 2-1 defeat to the league leaders - before netting a brace in a 4-1 thrashing of Empoli over the weekend. Vlahovic might be starting to worry that the Frenchman could be more than a backup...
The transfer window in Italy is closed
Wilfried Zaha: Galatasaray to Charlotte
Eighteen months and two clubs after leaving Crystal Palace, Zaha has headed Stateside to join Major League Soccer side Charlotte.
The Ivory Coast international won a league and cup double with Galatasaray last season before being sent on loan to Lyon in the summer.
But he made just six appearances in all competitions for the French side before joining Charlotte, again on loan.
Zaha's move is for a year, until January 17, 2026, but Charlotte have the option to extend the loan beyond that to June 30, 2026.
The window in the USA is still open
- Transfer Deadline Day - All the done deals in Premier League and Europe's top leagues
- Can January signings play in Europe? Will Rashford feature for Villa in the Champions League?
Neymar: Al Hilal to Santos
The prodigal son has returned! Neymar this month decided to go back to where it all started, sealing a move to his boyhood club Santos in Brazil.
His switch brought an end to an injury-plagued, expensive and largely forgettable 18-month spell in Saudi Arabia, which ultimately led to Al Hilal agreeing to terminate his contract at the end of January.
That paved the way for the 32-year-old to head home after playing just seven games for Al Hilal since joining them in an £86 million move in August 2023.
Santos, where Neymar won the Copa Libertadores among other honours before joining Barcelona in 2013, hailed his return by proclaiming: "The Prince is back."
The window in Brazil is still open
Alvaro Morata: Milan to Galatasaray
At this point you may well be asking: "Didn't he just join Milan?"
The answer is yes, Morata signed for the Serie A giants only last summer, but he has ended up being shipped out to Galatasaray in a very eventful January transfer window for the club.
Sergio Conceicao's arrival as coach sparked a number of changes, with former captain Davide Calabria heading to Bologna after being replaced by Kyle Walker in a headline-grabbing move.
But the attack has also undergone big changes, with Morata being replaced by Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez in a deal reportedly worth around £27 million, and Joao Felix set to join from Chelsea on loan.
Morata has joined Galatasaray on a six-month loan deal, with the Turkish club having the option to make the move permanent.
The transfer window is still open in Turkey
Ben Chilwell: Chelsea to Crystal Palace
In another deadline day move that may have got buried in the piles of deals that were stacking up, Crystal Palace brought in Chilwell from Chelsea.
The England international has joined the Selhurst Park club on loan until the end of the season, ending a difficult spell under Enzo Maresca.
Chilwell has only made one appearance all season under the Italian manager, from the bench in a Carabao Cup win over Barrow in September.
Considered out of Maresca's plans, the left-back - who cost Chelsea £45 million when he joined from Leicester in 2020 - will be hoping to get more regular game time across London and fight his way back into the England squad.
Thre transfer window in England is closed
Honourable mentions
If you were to try and name the top five most expensive deals of the window, would you guess that Galeno is in there? The Porto winger has joined Al Ahli in a deal worth around £42 million - only Jhon Duran (Aston Villa to Al Nassr), Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt to Man City), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli to PSG) and Nico Gonzalez (Porto to Man City) cost more in January.
Back in the Premier League, Tottenham's capture of South Korean winger Min-hyeok Yang has flown under the radar, and the 18-year-old's progress on loan in the Championship with QPR will be closely monitored given how highly rated he is in his home country.
Another intriguing youngster to have moved is Jaden Philogene, who joined Ipswich Town in a £20 million deal from Aston Villa, where he will hope to gain the game time necessary to make his breakthrough.
Marcus Edwards is back on English soil after joining promotion-chasing Burnley on loan from Sporting CP, but heading out of the country is Lloyd Kelly, who sealed a somewhat surprising move to Juventus from Newcastle on loan with the obligation to buy.
Last but not least, remember Loris Karius? The former Liverpool goalkeeper had been without a club since his Newcastle contract expired at the end of last season, but he is back in the game after joining Schalke on a deal to the end of the Bundesliga 2 season.
Click here for the list of when the transfer windows close around the globe.
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