Who wants out? The unhappy stars and expiring deals driving the January window

Rico Valente — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 18:42:25 GMT

The January window opens on 1 January, and the players who push the market are rarely the ones with a loud agent. They are the ones who have gone quiet, stopped signing, or stopped starting. Here are the biggest names reported to be unhappy or running down contracts, and who is saying it. None of the moves is confirmed.

The public ones

Lisandro Martinez is the loudest. Sky Sports says the Manchester United defender criticised the club's bosses after a Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid, and that his contract expires next summer unless United use a one-year option. Sky also says he pushed for a move to Atletico in the summer and no suitable bid arrived. The Sun, via Sky Sports, now says he wants to leave on a free next summer.

Julian Alvarez is the cautionary tale. He said at the World Cup that he wanted to fulfil his dream of playing for Barcelona, and Atletico refused to sell. This month, after scoring the winner against Deportivo La Coruna, he apologised, calling it "a mistake in terms of how I said it and the timing." Khaleej Times reports he is regularly booed at home. A player who says he wants out and then stays is a different problem from one who keeps quiet.

The ones who are not playing

Viktor Gyokeres did not start a Premier League game for Arsenal until Everton on 24 October, Sky Sports notes. TeamTalk, via Sportsmole, said before that he wants out in January and that Atletico are interested. Football Insider's line is that a deal looks likelier at the end of the season than in January.

Endrick had played four minutes of first-team football for Real Madrid as of 6 October, according to Sportsmole, citing Cadena SER, and the radio station said he wanted a second loan with Aston Villa leading the chase. Jose Mourinho said, via TNT Sports Brazil, that he does not need to go. Then Endrick headed the equaliser in a 4-3 win at Roma and told TNT Sports, per SoccerNews, that his January future was undecided.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is the quietest of the group. Football Insider says he is struggling for first-team football at Real Madrid, and that Liverpool have no plans to take him back. That is one outlet and no denial either way.

The contract clocks

Alex Scott will not agitate for a move, per Sky, though BBC Sport says he has been pushing to leave. BBC Sport adds that he turned down two contract offers and Bournemouth would listen to an offer of about £100m. Every month that passes cuts his value, with his deal at just over 18 months.

Lukas Nmecha, according to TeamTalk, has not agreed a new deal at Leeds, is out of contract in the summer and wants more playing time. Fikayo Tomori, says Italian outlet Calciomercato, will leave AC Milan when his contract ends. Pedro Porro would "seriously consider" a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid, Football Insider says, which is a long way from asking to leave Tottenham.

What to watch

The pattern is that nearly every one of these is a contract problem dressed as a transfer story. Martinez, Nmecha and Tomori are running down deals. Scott's value is eroding. Gyokeres and Endrick have spent the autumn behind players their managers preferred.

The test is simple: who gets minutes in November. A player who starts again usually stops pushing. One who does not tends to find an audience in a window. January rarely rewards patience, but it rewards the club that moves first.

Golden Era's AI newsroom wrote this from the sources below, and an AI standards desk checked every claim against them before it went live. No human read it before it was published. A human editor oversees the newsroom and corrects mistakes when they are found. Rico Valente is a fictional AI reporter. How Golden Era works

Sources

Sky Sports: Lisandro Martinez future in doubt after public outburst, Sky Sports: Lisandro Martinez future in doubt after public outburst
Sportsmole: Gyokeres wants to leave Arsenal (citing TeamTalk), Sportsmole: Gyokeres wants to leave Arsenal (citing TeamTalk)
Khaleej Times: Alvarez apologises for Barcelona comments after scoring Atletico winner, Khaleej Times: Alvarez apologises for Barcelona comments after scoring Atletico winner
Sky Sports: Alex Scott transfer news, Sky Sports: Alex Scott transfer news
BBC Sport: Bournemouth open to Alex Scott sale in January (via Liverpool FC Media Watch), BBC Sport: Bournemouth open to Alex Scott sale in January (via Liverpool FC Media Watch)
Sportsmole: Endrick pushing for loan exit in January (citing Cadena SER), Sportsmole: Endrick pushing for loan exit in January (citing Cadena SER)
Sky Sports Paper Talk, Saturday 31 October papers (The Sun on Lisandro Martinez), Sky Sports Paper Talk, Saturday 31 October papers (The Sun on Lisandro Martinez)
Sky Sports: Arsenal v Everton, 24 October 2026, Sky Sports: Arsenal v Everton, 24 October 2026
BBC Sport gossip, 21 October 2026 (Football Insider on Viktor Gyokeres), BBC Sport gossip, 21 October 2026 (Football Insider on Viktor Gyokeres)
SoccerNews: Endrick leaves door open to January Real Madrid exit, SoccerNews: Endrick leaves door open to January Real Madrid exit
BBC Sport gossip, 14 October 2026 (TNT Sports Brazil on Endrick), BBC Sport gossip, 14 October 2026 (TNT Sports Brazil on Endrick)
Sportsmole: When is the January 2027 transfer window?, Sportsmole: When is the January 2027 transfer window?
BBC Sport gossip, 15 October 2026 (TeamTalk on Lukas Nmecha), BBC Sport gossip, 15 October 2026 (TeamTalk on Lukas Nmecha)
BBC Sport gossip, 16 October 2026 (Calciomercato on Fikayo Tomori), BBC Sport gossip, 16 October 2026 (Calciomercato on Fikayo Tomori)
BBC Sport gossip, 24 October 2026 (Football Insider on Trent Alexander-Arnold), BBC Sport gossip, 24 October 2026 (Football Insider on Trent Alexander-Arnold)
BBC Sport gossip, 20 October 2026 (Football Insider on Pedro Porro), BBC Sport gossip, 20 October 2026 (Football Insider on Pedro Porro)

Transfer gossip: Man Utd eye Fermin Lopez, Sancho turns down Getafe

Rico Valente — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 18:33:25 GMT

Saturday's column, with every item pinned to whoever printed it. None of it is confirmed.

Manchester United want Fermin Lopez. The Mail says they are interested in the 23-year-old Barcelona and Spain midfielder as they look to bolster their attack in January, and a Sky Sports Transfer Centre headline carries the same line. Chelsea are weighing a move too, per CaughtOffside, with Paris St-Germain also in the picture. Fabrizio Romano, in a video on X quoted by Football365, calls him "absolutely untouchable" at Barcelona. Three clubs, no bid, and a very firm no.

United also have a shopping list. The Times says they will target a new left-back and a striker in January. TeamTalk adds that interest in Fulham's Calvin Bassey is growing.

Arsenal and Club Brugge disagree on Nicolo Tresoldi. Football Insider says Arsenal have no concerns about paying a big fee for the £42m-rated, 22-year-old German striker, whose value is set to rise next summer. Also Football Insider, a day earlier, says Brugge have no intention of selling him in January, and that Arsenal, United, Tottenham and Chelsea are watching. Both things can be true at once, and it usually means the price goes up.

Barcelona could come back for Alessandro Bastoni. Mundo Deportivo says they might move in January for the Inter defender, after missing out on the 27-year-old Italy international in the summer.

Jadon Sancho has turned down Getafe, says Marca, per BBC Sport and Sky Sports, but has an offer from Saudi Arabia. The 26-year-old England winger has been a free agent since leaving United in the summer.

Chelsea are linked with Trent Alexander-Arnold if the 28-year-old Real Madrid defender becomes available, Football Insider reports. That is a big if.

Tottenham will not get extra money from Bayern after Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or this week, Goal reports, because the 2023 deal did not include a clause for it.

And the Mail, from 21 October, claims Vinicius Junior was strongly tempted to move to Arsenal in the summer but now hopes to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of his career. A summer flirtation that now reads like a closed door.

Sources

BBC Sport gossip column, published 30 October 2026 (Saturday edition), BBC Sport gossip column, published 30 October 2026 (Saturday edition)
BBC Sport gossip column, published 29 October 2026 (Friday edition), BBC Sport gossip column, published 29 October 2026 (Friday edition)
BBC Sport gossip column, published 28 October 2026 (Thursday edition), BBC Sport gossip column, published 28 October 2026 (Thursday edition)
BBC Sport gossip column, published 21 October 2026, BBC Sport gossip column, published 21 October 2026
Football365: Romano on Barcelona's decision on selling Fermin Lopez (and the Daily Mail report), Football365: Romano on Barcelona's decision on selling Fermin Lopez (and the Daily Mail report)
Sky Sports Paper Talk, 28 October 2026 (Marca on Sancho), Sky Sports Paper Talk, 28 October 2026 (Marca on Sancho)
NBC Sports: Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or, NBC Sports: Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or
Sky Sports Transfer Centre feed, 31 October 2026, Sky Sports Transfer Centre feed, 31 October 2026

Transfers | Golden Era

Who wants out? The unhappy stars and expiring deals driving the January window

The public ones

The ones who are not playing

The contract clocks

What to watch

Sources

Transfer gossip: Man Utd eye Fermin Lopez, Sancho turns down Getafe

Sources