Football: Busy close to transfer window in Premier League

London, Feb 1

There was plenty of activity on the last day of the transfer window in the Premier League, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham all making important signings.

Chelsea set a new English transfer record with the signing of Argentinean midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, paying his release clause of around 120 million euros.

The fee is around 10 times more than Benfica paid River Plate to buy the player, who was awarded the FIFA Young Player for the World Cup in Qatar, one year ago, although the Argentinean side will receive 25 per cent of the sell-on fee.

The move completes a hectic January for Chelsea, who have spent over 300 million euros in an attempt to strengthen their squad, reports Xinhua.

Fernandez's deal opened the door for Arsenal to move in for Chelsea's Italian international midfielder Jorginho, who has signed a contract until the end of June 2024 for a fee thought to be in the region of 12 million pounds.

Jorginho will add experience to the Arsenal midfield, as Mikel Arteta's young side looks to maintain their lead in the league's title race.

Tottenham were also active, signing Spanish wing-back Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon on loan, with the idea of turning the deal into a permanent transfer in the summer.

Matt Doherty and Djed Spence have both moved on to make space for Porro, with Doherty bound for Atletico Madrid and Spence signing with Rennes.

Manchester United moved quickly after the news that Christian Eriksen has suffered an injury that will keep him out until May, and snapped up Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on loan.

Kamaldeen Sulemana has joined Southampton for a club-record fee from Rennes. The Ghana winger will cost an initial 25 million euros plus a potential five million euros in future bonuses.

Newcastle United have landed young defender Harrison Ashby from West Ham United for a fee of around three million pounds, while striker Ayoze Perez left Leicester City to return to Spain with a loan deal to Betis.

Leicester strengthened their defense by signing Harry Souttar from Stoke City for 15 million pounds. The Australian central defender gets his move to the Premier League after impressing in the World Cup.

--IANS