Another transfer window has seen another huge outlay on fees, but not all great signings have to come at such a cost.

Paulo Dybala, Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Antonio Rudiger and Boubacar Kamara have already moved as free agents in this window.

With just a couple of days to go before the deadline, there remain some notable names looking for clubs.

Let's take a look...

Marcelo (34 years old – last club: Real Madrid)

It is not often the Champions League-winning captain of the previous campaign is without a club at the start of the new season, but that has been the case for Marcelo.

Admittedly, the left-back – a five-time European champion – was firmly behind Ferland Mendy in the pecking order last term, starting only seven games in all competitions.

However, Marcelo said upon leaving Madrid: "I won't retire, not now. I feel I can still play. Facing Real Madrid won't be a problem. I'm a big Madridista, but I'm also a big professional."

Juan Mata (34 – last club: Manchester United)

Mata is another hugely experienced and hugely talented player who has not yet clinched what may be the final move of a fine career.

The Spaniard spent eight and a half years at United but only once did he start over 30 league games for the club in a single season. He appeared in United's Premier League starting XI on only 16 occasions across the past three campaigns combined.

Still, a switch from United to bitter rivals Leeds United would have been a controversial one, and reports of the Elland Road outfit's interest in Mata were reportedly swiftly dismissed by sources, leaving him still without a club.

Djibril Sidibe (30 – last club: Monaco)

Sidibe's stock was really quite high after winning Ligue 1 with Monaco in 2017, and he added a World Cup medal with France 12 months later.

However, the right-back did not follow team-mates like Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho in quitting Monaco, instead sticking around to see interest in his signature wane.

An uninspiring loan spell with Everton did little to boost Sidibe's profile, but he is still a good age as he looks for another club.

Ross Barkley (28 – last club: Chelsea)

Barkley still had a contract with Chelsea heading into the final week of the window, but the Blues agreed to cut short a hugely disappointing four-and-a-half-year stint at Stamford Bridge.

Having secured an exit from Everton, the midfielder never recreated his Goodison Park form on the big stage, with a loan move to Aston Villa starting brightly before quickly fading.

Barkley was a key man for England as recently as 2019, though, and there will surely be a club willing to take the risk, with Rangers heavily linked.

Florian Grillitsch (27 – last club: Hoffenheim)

Perhaps the pick of the remaining free agents, Grillitsch is on the market because he chose to be, for Hoffenheim would have been very keen to keep a player of his talents.

Yet the midfielder is still waiting on his next club, revealing to Kicker he had changed his agent amid suggestions of unrealistic financial demands.

"Certain things have been extremely unfortunate recently," Grillitsch said, with the failure to land a deal to this point perhaps meaning potential suitors could instead land a bargain.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed Liverpool are still working to make a signing in the transfer window ahead of Thursday's deadline, even if he will be relieved when it is all over.

Reds manager Klopp revealed last week he had changed his opinion on the need for a new midfielder at Anfield, having previously insisted his squad was strong enough.

When the Liverpool boss made those comments, ahead of facing Bournemouth at home, they were still winless.

Bournemouth were subsequently swatted aside 9-0, but Klopp is pressing ahead with the new plan to make a signing, although "the really important stuff" will follow after the window closes.

Asked if Liverpool were still active, Klopp replied: "'Ish'. Somehow, yeah, but the closer we get to the last minute, the more unlikely it gets. That's how it is. What can I say? We are not out.

"It's difficult, it's really difficult, because for sure there are a few players out there who would be the right ones, but they have different issues.

"Some of them are contracted to clubs who don't want to sell, all these kinds of things. We cannot force them.

"When it's over and we've signed or not signed [someone], then I'm really happy about that, because we've stopped thinking about it in that moment; we can just focus on the squad we have, the team we have, be ready to face all the problems we'll have in the season.

"Our supporters who are pretty active on social media every day can just stop doing that, because we have a good football team. We have injuries, but they'll come back.

"If somebody expects us to always do what others are doing or what some people want to do, that's not possible. It's never happened before, it will not happen in the future.

"This club arrived here in this situation with the way we deal with situations. I don't make the decisions about how much we spend, that's the truth, but I never did, and we're still here and we've won a couple of things.

"From that moment [when the window closes], we can focus on the really important stuff. Yes, bringing in the right players is important, but if we can't do that now, then we can't do it."

Next opponents Newcastle United could be counted among those clubs who have approached the market differently to Liverpool, spending more than £200million in this calendar year following a lucrative takeover last October.

And Klopp has no doubt Eddie Howe's side will soon be challenging the elite in the Premier League.

"They will be," he said. "If Eddie gets time and stuff like this... I'm not sure they need another transfer window, but if he gets time, they will definitely be.

"That's the football world we live in; it's completely fine.

"Newcastle is a great club and has a lot of success in the past and now for a few years not that much anymore. They have now everything you need to be 'top six' or whatever that means."

Liverpool have had Joel Matip and Curtis Jones back in training ahead of Wednesday's game, while Diogo Jota will join the group later in the week, with Thiago Alcantara set to follow "slightly later".

Christophe Galtier has not given up hope of signing Milan Skriniar before the transfer window closes and confirmed Fabian Ruiz is "very close" to joining Paris Saint-Germain.

Skriniar has been high on PSG's list of targets, but the Ligue 1 champions have been unable to agree a deal for the Inter centre-back.

PSG head coach Galtier knows it will be difficult to lure Skriniar away from San Siro, but says "anything is possible".

"I can't tell you it's completely over," Galtier said when asked about PSG's chances of signing the Slovakia international. 

"In a transfer window, there are always surprises. Milan has been a target for a long time. Negotiations with Inter are very difficult. 

"You have to respect his position. But with two days to go, anything is possible."

Galtier expects a deal to sign midfielder Ruiz from Napoli to go through before long in what is shaping up to be a busy end to the window.

"There are just over 48 hours left before the transfer window closes," he said ahead of Wednesday's Ligue 1 encounter at Toulouse. "Some information comes out. 

"Fabian Ruiz is very close to PSG, but there will also be departures from our side. 

"It would have been better to have the recruits as soon as possible. We have been targeting the sectors we wanted to strengthen for a long time. 

"Fabian Ruiz, we had targeted him for a long time. But for now, he is still a Napoli player."

Galtier confirmed Leandro Paredes is on his way to Juventus, but gave little away about Napoli target Keylor Navas' future.

He said: "Leandro will not be part of the group [to face Toulouse]. I spoke with him after the [training] session. We know that he has reached an agreement with Juventus.

"He is currently a PSG player, but his mind is elsewhere. I made the decision not to put him in the group so that he could prepare for his departure and that I don't have a player who, perhaps, will leave the club [within] 24 hours. 

"With Keylor, we talk very often. He is a PSG goalkeeper and he will be in the squad."

Antony is set to join Manchester United after the Premier League club agreed a £81.3million (€95m) fee with Ajax.

Ajax reportedly turned down a bid of £76.4m (€90m) for the winger last week, one of several offers United made to the Eredivisie champions.

A deal, which Ajax on Tuesday revealed could rise to £85.6m (€100m) with add-ons, has now been reached between the clubs for the 22-year-old, who was again left out of Ajax's squad to face Utrecht on Sunday. 

The transfer is set to go through ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline, subject to a medical, personal terms being finalised and international clearance.

Antony's omission from the Ajax squad last weekend came after he publicly pleaded with Ajax to sell him to United in an interview with journalist Fabrizio Romano.

In the interview, Antony explained he informed Ajax of his intention to leave the club as early as February.

Antony will become United's fifth signing under Erik ten Hag, whose side have won their past two Premier League games after losing their opening two matches.

Lisandro Martinez will present Antony with a familiar face in the squad, having also joined from Ajax – Ten Hag's former club – while Tyrell Malacia arrived from Feyenoord.

Former Ajax, Tottenham and Inter playmaker Christian Eriksen arrived on a free transfer after leaving Brentford, and United last week signed Casemiro from Real Madrid.

Antony scored 12 goals for Ajax in all competitions last season, and is capable of playing across the forward line.

With doubts remaining over Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford, he will seemingly come in as competition for Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho, while it has been suggested Anthony Elanga may be allowed to leave United on loan.

Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi has completed a season-long loan move to Bayer Leverkusen.

Hudson-Odoi has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as head coach in January 2021, and is yet to feature at all this season.

The 21-year-old has played 126 times for Chelsea in all competitions since making his debut in 2018, with 37 goal involvements (16 goals, 21 assists).

The Premier League club confirmed they have the option to recall the player in January.

Several clubs in England and Germany were credited in the media with an interest in Hudson-Odoi, but the winger has opted to join Gerardo Seoane's team for the campaign.

Speaking to the club's website after the move was confirmed, Hudson-Odoi said: "The move to Germany is really exciting for me and I can play in the Champions League with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 

"That combination is really attractive and I'm keen to get to know the club, the fans and the Bundesliga. [Chelsea team-mate] Kai Havertz only had good things to say about it to me."

Leverkusen secured their first victory of the Bundesliga season on Saturday as they won 3-0 at Mainz, having lost their first three games.

Three-cap England international Hudson-Odoi – who was close to joining Bayern Munich in 2019 – could make his debut on Saturday when Freiburg visit the BayArena.

Negotiations are taking place for Martin Dubravka to join Manchester United, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed.

Dubravka joined Newcastle from Sparta Prague in January 2018 on an initial loan that was later made permanent, but the goalkeeper has fallen down the pecking order at St James' Park after the arrival of Nick Pope from Burnley before the new season.

Reports suggested the Slovakia international could be on his way to Old Trafford – also on an initial loan – to provide competition for David de Gea.

Howe provided some clarity on the matter at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of his team's trip to face Liverpool, telling reporters: "Discussions have taken place between the clubs. I don't think anything has concluded as I sit here now.

"From my perspective, I'm sad if Martin does leave, sad to see him go. It's not something we necessarily wanted but we understand there's always two sides to every story."

Dubravka has played 130 times for Newcastle in all competitions, keeping 37 clean sheets.

Howe hopes to have new signing Alexander Isak available for Wednesday's clash at Anfield, though remained unsure if his work permit would be granted in time, and also suggested the Sweden striker is likely to be the last arrival of the transfer window, which closes on Thursday.

Newcastle have signed Pope, Isak and Sven Botman since the end of last season, while also making Matt Targett's loan from Aston Villa permanent.

"I don't expect to be [active again in the window] to be honest," Howe said. "We're very pleased with the business we've done.

"The injuries we have we believe to be short-term so there might be a bit of short-term pain around the squad. Longer term, when those bodies are back, we're very strong.

"That's not to say we're totally closed off. We're obviously still looking but I don't expect any major business to be done."

Tottenham have announced the permanent signing of Cristian Romero from Atalanta on a five-year deal following the defender's successful spell on loan.

The 24-year-old joined Tottenham 12 months ago on an initial season-long loan with the option to make the move permanent.

Argentina international Romero featured 30 times in all competitions last season and started Spurs' opening two Premier League games this campaign prior to sustaining an injury.

Tottenham confirmed on their official website on Tuesday that Romero has now agreed a deal that will run through until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

Romero, who is in contention to be part of Argentina's World Cup squad later this year, has also previously represented Genoa and Juventus in Serie A.

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has been open about his desire for more signings ahead of the closure of the transfer window.

The London club have been one of the big spenders during this transfer window but Tuchel believes they need more reinforcements to be competitive in the title race.

The Blues have lost Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri and Timo Werner, while Romelu Lukaku departed on loan and Marcos Alonso is expected to join Barcelona.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLOTTING AUBA SWOOP

Chelsea are plotting a deadline day move to land ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, reports The Guardian.

Blues boss Tuchel has asked owner Todd Boehly to free up £200million with three targets in mind before Thursday's deadline, headlined by the Gabon international.

Chelsea are set to close out a deal for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana for £70m, while Everton's Anthony Gordon is also on their wish list.

Aubameyang has only been used once for eight minutes off the bench this LaLiga season, with Robert Lewandowski starring up front for the Blaugrana.

ROUND-UP

–  Liverpool are pondering a late £42m bid for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo,  according to The Sun. Brighton, however, believe that the Ecuador international is worth almost double that price.

– Metro reports  Cristiano Ronaldo could seal a move from Manchester United to Napoli this week. Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes is working on a swap deal, possibly involving Victor Osimhen .

– La Gazzetta dello Sport claims  Paris Saint-Germain 's €23m offer with add-ons for Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz has been accepted and he will undergo a medical on Tuesday. The Spaniard has been frozen out after refusing to extend his contract, which has less than 12 months to run.

– Tottenham have revived their interest in Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco,  according to the Telegraph. The 28-year-old Belgian has two years to run on his contract.

– The Sun claims  Wolves have rejected a bid worth £8.5m from Everton for midfielder Leander Dendoncker .

– Barcelona and Manchester United have not reached an agreement on a deal for USA international Sergino Dest , reports Cadena COPE.

Valencia have confirmed the capture of Uruguay international Edinson Cavani, with the former Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United forward joining on a two-year deal.

Cavani had been a free agent after his contract expired at Old Trafford earlier this year, and the 35-year-old has since been courted by numerous European clubs.

But it is the LaLiga side the veteran attacker has opted to join, linking up with Gennaro Gattuso's team on a free transfer, with his contract set to run until June 2024.

It is a transfer that means Cavani will have played in four of Europe's five major leagues. He left Danubio in his home country to join Palermo in Serie A, before subsequent spells with Napoli, Paris Saint-Germaiin and United.

A six-time Ligue 1 winner at the Parc des Princes, he departed as the club's all-time top scorer, with 200 goals to his name, when he switched to the Premier League in 2020.

Struggles with injuries and fluctuating form saw him net just 12 times in 41 top-flight appearances for United, with the nearest he came to silverware being the 2021 Europa League final loss to Villarreal.

At international level, Cavani won the 2011 Copa America with Uruguay, and has been a member of three World Cup squads, including the team that finished fourth at South Africa 2010.

Having helped them qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup later this year, he will hope to make a fourth appearance at the tournament following his arrival at Valencia.

Villarreal have confirmed Barcelona target Juan Foyth is facing a lay-off with a knee injury.

Barca had been trying to land Foyth before the transfer window closes on Thursday, but they were unable to agree a fee with their LaLiga rivals.

The Argentina defender will almost certainly not be on the move this week after he damaged his left knee during a goalless draw at Getafe on Sunday.

Villarreal said in a statement on Monday: "Medical tests have confirmed that Juan Foyth suffered a post-traumatic contusion in left knee in last Sunday's match against Getafe CF at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

"The recovery time of the player will depend on how he reacts to treatment. Villarreal CF would like to send the Argentine defender best wishes and hopes to see him back on the pitch as soon as possible."

Foyth's injury blow comes after the Yellow Submarine increased his release clause from €42million to 54.6m.

It has been reported the full-back could be out for two months.

West Ham have signed Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon for a club-record fee.

Paqueta moves to east London from Lyon for a reported £36.5million (€43m) fee in a deal that is said to also include a further £14.4m (€17m) in potential add-ons.

The 25-year-old has signed a five-year contract with an option for further year. Paqueta had previously been linked with a reunion with former Lyon team-mate and fellow Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle United.

However, he will now be a rival to his compatriot after becoming West Ham's eighth signing of the transfer window.

"I am extremely happy to be here. I hope it's the beginning of an enjoyable journey. I hope my time here is successful," Paqueta said.

"Last season, West Ham had a very good season and I hope they continue to enjoy more and more good seasons in my time at the club.

"I am excited to pull on the West Ham shirt and show the fans what I can do."

West Ham made a dismal start to the new Premier League season, losing their first three games without scoring a goal, but bounced back by beating Aston Villa 1-0 on Sunday.

They will look for Paqueta to greatly improve their creative output when he slots into the midfield alongside England international Declan Rice.

Paqueta scored nine league goals last season, with only five midfielders in Ligue 1 finding the net more often. He also laid on six assists and created 41 chances.

The former Milan playmaker, who will wear the number 11 shirt, could make his West Ham debut in the London derby with Tottenham on Wednesday.

Manchester United have confirmed midfielder Hannibal Mejbri will spend the 2022-23 campaign on loan with Championship outfit Birmingham City.

The Tunisia international, who has made three senior appearances for United since making his bow at the end of the 2020-21 season, is the latest player to make a temporary exit from Old Trafford.

Mejbri follows goalkeeper Dean Henderson and defenders Alex Telles and Eric Bailly as additional departures.

Birmingham's social media accounts celebrated the signing for John Eustace's side with an edited poster for the 1991 film 'The Silence of the Lambs', playing on the 19-year-old's shared name with the character Hannibal Lecter.

A clutch of pre-season appearances during the club's tour of the Far East and Australia suggested an increased role under Erik Ten Hag for Mejbri, but the teenager will now look to gain first-team minutes at St Andrew's instead.

The move will likely bolster the 19-year-old's hopes of cementing his place in the Tunisia squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with the 16-cap international hoping to feature at the end-of-year tournament.

Real Madrid have signed Barcelona youth product Iker Bravo from Bayer Leverkusen on an initial season-long loan deal.

The 17-year-old spent more than a decade in Barca's famed La Masia academy prior to joining Leverkusen last year.

Bravo, capped by Spain at various age levels through to Under-19, made two substitute appearances for Leverkusen in all competitions last season.

Bundesliga club Leverkusen confirmed on their official website on Monday that an agreement had been reached with Madrid for the teenage forward to return to Spain.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are said to have seen off competition from Atletico Madrid and are reported to have the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season for €6million.

Bravo is expected to spend the 2022-23 season playing for Los Blancos' reserve side Real Madrid Castilla.

Patrick Vieira had no intention to speak about players at other clubs when asked about Crystal Palace's rumoured move for Conor Gallagher.

The midfielder spent last season on loan at Palace in an impressive first campaign in charge for Viera.

His form for Palace saw the 22-year-old earn his first England call-up and the club's Player of the Year award.

Gallagher has since returned to Chelsea, but has found it hard to impose himself in the same manner so far this term.

An early red card after successive bookings at the weekend against Leicester City, on his second start of the season, has further highlighted his struggles and now reports have emerged of a £27million bid from Palace to bring him back on a permanent basis.

Vieira, however, refused to comment on whether any such move had been launched.

"The way that you are talking, it is like the £27million is on the table," Vieira quipped when asked if a move for Gallagher was on the cards.

"It is difficult to talk about players who are [at] other football clubs. You mention Conor, [but] Conor is a Chelsea player, and until Chelsea say otherwise, there is no point for us to think about what may not be possible to do."

Vieira acknowledged Palace are hopeful of concluding more business before the transfer window shuts on Thursday, adding: "We have people around the world working on trying to improve the squad.

"Like I said, we are short of numbers. We need players, and we will try to bring those players. If not, I am quite really happy with the players that we have, and we will try to win football matches."

Everton manager Frank Lampard has no concerns over Anthony Gordon refusing to play in order to force through an exit, amid continued speculation over a move to Chelsea.

Chelsea are reported to have already had multiple offers knocked back for the 21-year-old, the most recent of which was said to be worth £45million.

Lampard's former side Chelsea could yet make another approach prior to Thursday's deadline, with boss Thomas Tuchel hinting he is hopeful of further additions.

While Wesley Fofana has been overlooked for selection by Leicester City ahead of a move to Chelsea, and Willy Boly allegedly refused to play against Newcastle United as he seeks a move away from Wolves, Lampard does not expect any such problems from Gordon.

"Anthony wouldn't, shouldn't, couldn't do that with me. If he did try and sit out a game he'd see a different side to me," Lampard told reporters. "There's no doubt about that and I think he knows that.

"I'm not playing the hard one – it's just that it would be so alien from what I'd expect from him. I just know that's not him. 

"At the same time he's not a robot and all this attention is difficult. I understand that – I was that ambitious young player.

"That's the beauty of Anthony. He's hard working and he wants to be better. He wants to do what he did [on Saturday], which is score goals, run for this team, and that’s why he's a delight to work with. So there was never any idea that Anthony would act that way."

Gordon's goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brentford – extending Everton's winless start to the Premier League season to four matches – was his fifth in 64 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions.

He has played a full part in all four of this side's league games this term and Lampard intends to select the winger against Leeds United on Tuesday, regardless of the ongoing gossip.

"He's in the squad Tuesday, for sure," Lampard said. "His character's great. He's in the squad."

When it was put to Lampard that he had been in a similar position prior to leaving boyhood club West Ham for London rivals Chelsea in 2001, the former England international pointed out Gordon has only been a first-team regular for one season.

"I played three-and-a-half, four seasons for West Ham, so there's my answer for Anthony. He's played one for us," Lampard said.

"He's a huge player for us. We're getting towards the end of the window now and Anthony's a huge player for us and will be this season."

Lampard also confirmed Mason Holgate is expected to miss several weeks with a knee injury sustained against Brentford, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure remain on the sidelines, but new signing Neal Maupay may feature at Elland Road.