Report: Crystal Palace are in the race to sign Newcastle United star in January | OneFootball

January window tension and cautious optimism

Ask around and the consensus is clear, the January transfer window is a difficult market. That opening line from iNEWS sets the tone for what feels like a winter shaped by restraint rather than excess. After a record £3bn spend in the summer, football executives and agents are predicting belts will be tightened this month. Clubs have splurged, balance sheets are strained and Profit and Sustainability rules hover over every conversation. Yet January has never been purely about volume. It is about precision, about finding one deal that nudges momentum, belief and league position.

As one director of football told The i Paper, “one deal could set dominoes falling”. That quote captures the mood perfectly. This window may be quieter, flatter, but it carries a sense of latent drama. A single move can release funds, force reactions and reshape strategies across Europe. Credit must go to iNEWS for mapping out this landscape so clearly, grounding speculation in financial reality while identifying the pressure points where action could still spark.

The Champions League race sharpens every decision. Margins are thin, and clubs hovering around fourth place know a timely addition can be the difference between elite revenue streams and a season of regret. January is no longer about impulse buys, it is about calculated risk.

Semenyo deal as market catalyst

With the exception of Antoine Semenyo, whose unique release clause has hastened his £60m departure from Bournemouth, few deals have been teed up yet. That exception matters. Semenyo’s move to Manchester City feels like the sort of transfer that can loosen the market’s grip. After two rounds of successful negotiations, Semenyo is heading for Manchester City and the move should be wrapped up within 48 hours as Bournemouth and City thrash out payment details over the £60m plus £5m add-ons. The i Paper understands that the fee is likely to be paid over an 18-to-24 month period.

There will be no late Liverpool gazumping and Manchester United have fallen by the wayside. Tottenham Hotspur, sadly for them, were never in the running. That clarity speaks to how ruthlessly City operate when a target fits both sporting need and financial structure. For Bournemouth, this is not just a sale but an opportunity. In what is likely to be a flat January this deal will inject some capital into the market, with Bournemouth chasing a replacement.

They like Brennan Johnson and retain interest in him but he looks set to sign for Crystal Palace, which may force them into the European market again. This is where dominoes begin to wobble. One outgoing creates urgency, urgency inflates prices, and suddenly a supposedly quiet window hums with activity.

Agents leverage and stalled ambition

Super agent Jorge Mendes is already working his magic on Neves, who is set to have a big January. Ruben Neves feels emblematic of modern transfer theatre. His availability has been advertised through the usual channels, the obligatory Manchester United link doesn’t have much substance yet, and that might also persuade Al-Hilal to cough up more dough in contract negotiations. Expect to see his name all through the transfer window.

There is theatre too in Newcastle’s balancing act. Eddie Howe doesn’t like letting players go. But with player trading at the centre of Newcastle’s recruitment policy it is the likes of Willock who needs to depart to keep the wheels moving. Joe Willock is interesting Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest and if the fee is right should be allowed to leave. Pragmatism over sentiment, even when the manager resists.

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Kees Smit represents a different tension. If Newcastle are to “go big” for anyone this month, it is likely to be Smit. The AZ Alkmaar midfielder is well fancied at St James’ Park and by Premier League rivals Chelsea, but they believe his club want to hold onto him until the summer. Newcastle anticipate a quiet month. But if they think Smit is attainable, that would change. January remains a game of patience.

Dreams deferred and pressure points

Kobbie Mainoo’s situation underlines how instability breeds opportunity. Mainoo is still keen to explore options away from Manchester United in January, including, for the first time, a permanent exit. Napoli remain interested in continuing to pillage Old Trafford for their unwanted young talent. Yet Bruno Fernandes’ injury and a lack of other options available to Ruben Amorim means United will almost certainly block an exit, unless they can get a replacement in now.

Joshua Zirkzee’s story is more personal. Even after scoring against Wolves on Tuesday night, Zirkzee’s demeanour resembled a player whose heart is elsewhere. The i Paper has been told the Netherlands international is keen to end his United nightmare as soon as possible. Being hooked at half-time only added to his angst, a decision Amorim admitted was tactical. Roma are frontrunners, Everton and West Ham linger, but Italy calls.

Marc Guehi and Ivan Toney close the circle between ambition and reality. Sources close to Guehi insist he is seriously tempted to wait until the summer before leaving Palace, in order to secure a dream move to Real Madrid. Liverpool’s need is more desperate, with Arne Slot hoping to add to his central defensive options in January. Palace are open to selling now, so they can avoid losing him for nothing.

If Toney is going to have any chance of making the World Cup he needs to get on Thomas Tuchel’s radar promptly. He is settled in Saudi Arabia but open to offers from England if a team meets Al-Ahli’s valuation. Everton would dearly lovely a striker of his calibre but the financials don’t work. He would be tailor-made for a West Ham or Nottingham Forest.

January, then, is not barren. It is tense, cautious and quietly combustible, exactly as iNEWS describes.

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From a supporter’s perspective, this report lands somewhere between excitement and scepticism. There is a thrill in the idea that “one deal could set dominoes falling”, but also a nagging fear that clubs will blink too late. For Liverpool fans, the Marc Guehi thread stirs real emotion. With Arne Slot looking to steady his back line, the sense is that waiting until summer feels risky, especially in such a tight title and Champions League race.

At the same time, there is concern about inflated January pricing. Supporters have seen too many panic buys fail to settle. The Semenyo deal feels like classic City, decisive and controlled, and that contrast only heightens frustration elsewhere. Why do some clubs move early while others hesitate?

There is also sadness threaded through this window. Football feels more fragile now, and supporters carry that weight into every rumour. January promises solutions but often delivers compromises. Fans are expectant, hopeful of momentum, yet wary that restraint could be mistaken for ambition. This window may define seasons, not through volume, but through nerve.