Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed "physical monster" Mohamed Salah is in contention to face Leicester City on Thursday after Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations heartbreak.

Salah played the full 120 minutes of Sunday's AFCON final loss to Senegal, with his side beaten 4-2 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time.

The 29-year-old returned to training with Liverpool less than 48 hours later, however, and has declared himself ready to play a part against Leicester at Anfield.

"Mo is now back. I have spoken to him already," Klopp told the Reds' official website on Tuesday. 

"He is very disappointed of course, but looking forward to all the things coming up here now.

"I spoke to him and pretty much the first thing Mo told me was: 'I'm ready'. He is an experienced player; a physical monster, to be honest, so we have to see. 

"He will obviously have a little recovery session today and we will see how he feels tomorrow and from there we go.

"The proper plan we don't have, play him as often and as long as possible is probably the plan, but we will not rush it. 

"But if he is fine we will not leave him out for the wrong reasons as well, so let's see."

While Salah was left to rue what might have been for Egypt, club-mate Sadio Mane was celebrating a maiden international title after scoring the decisive spot-kick for Senegal.

Mane was still celebrating his country's triumph in Dakar on Monday and will not be considered for selection by Klopp against Leicester.

"Sadio has no chance as he's not even here, but Mo yes," Klopp said.

"Sadio flies out if it's possible on Wednesday night, so will arrive here on Thursday but he is, of course, then not involved in the Leicester game.

"It means the world to him, it means the world to his people, it means the world to Senegal. 

"We respect that a lot and we would never consider to have called back him from there or whatever – let them do what they do in the moment because they deserve it.

"They've had an incredibly intense time, so when he is back we will talk to him and we will see how we can use him."

Mane missed a penalty early on in the final and Klopp praised the forward for keeping his cool when it came to stepping up for the decisive spot-kick in the shoot-out.

"The pressure on Sadio with missing the penalty in the game and then the last one… wow! I cannot imagine how he would have felt," the German said. 

"But you could see the joy and relief after that so he was obviously in the best possible shape.

"We have text a little bit here and there but he is still in Africa, still in Senegal, celebrating and we will see – Wednesday night or something like that we will send him out. 

"But yes, it was obviously a big tournament and meant the world to him.

"I think both played a great tournament. The responsibility on their shoulders is absolutely [huge] and the pressure on their shoulders is absolutely insane.

"I don't even have an idea how it must feel in these moments, they carry pretty much a whole country.

"So, Mo couldn't make it but played a really good tournament and Sadio made it and yes, now I have to say really congratulations, outstanding."

While Liverpool must wait for Mane's return, potentially having Salah back involved against Leicester is a huge boost for the Reds.

Salah has scored 16 goals in 20 Premier League games this term – six more than anyone else – while assisting nine times, a tally only Trent Alexander-Arnold (10) can better.

Indeed, no player in Europe's top five league has scored and assisted more combined goals this season than Salah, who is level with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski on 25.

Liverpool have lost their last two league games against Leicester, but they have won five in a row at Anfield in the top flight in what is their best-such run since December 2020.

Klopp also confirmed Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are back in training after missing Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round win against Cardiff City.

Leeds United will struggle to keep hold of talismanic winger Raphinha, as he could play "right at the top", according to former defender Jonathan Woodgate.

The Brazil international was linked with a big-money move to West Ham in January but has remained at Elland Road, where Leeds face a survival bid.

Only three Premier League players have scored more than Raphinha's eight this season, while he also has two assists, having a hand in 10 of Leeds' 24 goals.

The 25-year-old is excelling on the international stage, too, with three goals and two assists in World Cup qualifying.

In South America, among players with five or more starts, only Neymar (67.5) is averaging fewer minutes per non-penalty goal or assist than Raphinha (84.6).

Woodgate therefore expects bigger clubs than West Ham to come calling at the end of the season.

"[He could play] right at the top. He could play for Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea – not a problem," Woodgate told Stats Perform. "He is outstanding.

"What a signing he's been. They've done a great job on the recruitment side of it to get Raphinha in, and you can see how quick he is, how much he works, but he brings assists and goals with that work rate.

"If you look at wingers, the first thing I look at is how many does he score and how many does he assist, and the bonus is he absolutely works so hard for that team.

"That could be a struggle to keep hold of them if a massive bid comes in for him, which I expect in the summer.

"He was getting linked with different clubs this [January] transfer window, but if a top team comes in for him, it'll be hard to keep him."

West Ham were also linked with Kalvin Phillips, and Woodgate foresees similar issues with his future.

"Again, he could play right at the top," he said. You saw it in at the Euros, but then you look at how much he's developed under Marcelo Bielsa.

"It's flabbergasting to see the improvement in that player since Bielsa came in. It's extraordinary. He's worked so hard on his game.

"It takes buy-in from the player as well, so you've got to congratulate Kalvin Phillips on what he's done, but the work Bielsa has done with him, he's turned him into an outstanding holding midfielder.

"He's getting in the England squad, getting to the final of the Euros playing week in, week out for Leeds. Again, they need to try and keep him.

"How would you keep players? By buying other top players into your club to supplement that and see if you can climb up the league. A bit like we did when I was at Leeds, we kept on buying top players to get to that next level."

Rising Spain star Gavi has earned plenty of admirers since bursting onto the scene last year.

Gavi has made 26 LaLiga appearances for Barcelona despite only turning 17 in August.

The teenager has also been capped by Spain, with four appearances to his name.

TOP STORY – REDS PLOT GAVI SWOOP

Liverpool are set to make an audacious swoop for Barcelona teenager Gavi amid the Blaugrana's financial issues, reports the Daily Express.

Barca have been trying to convince the 17-year-old to re-sign with the club but have not met his salary demands yet.

The Reds are hoping to capitalise on that situation, with a view to an offer in the near future.

ROUND-UP

- Borussia Dortmund are in contract talks with outgoing Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule, claims Transfermarkt's Manuel Veth. Sule has confirmed he will leave Bayern when his contract expires at the end of this campaign and is reportedly asking for €12-15million per season.

- Former Germany national team head coach Joachim Low is being lined up as Carlo Ancelotti's successor at Real Madrid, claims El Nacional.

- Barcelona could swoop for Chelsea target Jules Kounde with the Catalans lining up an off-season move for the Sevilla defender, according to the Daily Star.

- Express reports Barcelona are also looking to seal deals for Chelsea defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen in the coming days.

- Manchester United and Chelsea will both chase West Ham United's Declan Rice in the next transfer window, reports Sky Sports.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was happy with the cameo from new signing Luis Diaz after the Reds beat Cardiff City 3-1 at Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round.

Second-half goals from Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Harvey Elliott secured Liverpool's passage to the fifth round, where they will play Norwich City at home.

Diaz arrived in the game as a 58th-minute substitute and had a hand in a goal just 10 minutes later as he won the ball from Perry Ng, before some neat dribbling allowed him to pull it back – via a flick off Jota – towards Minamino to score Liverpool's second.

Klopp was impressed with the Colombian's impact and also assuaged fears that Diaz picked up an injury after the former Porto man looked in pain when Cardiff defender Aden Flint accidentally landed on his knee.

"He's good, thank god," Klopp confirmed. "The goal he set up for Taki [Minamino] was incredible. High press, I love it!

"He goes down, holds his knee. He is bruised on his knee. It's red. 'Welcome to England!' He has his first assist and first scar. I don't think it'll be serious."

Diaz completed 19 of his 20 passes on his Liverpool debut, and successfully executed all 11 of passes made in the opposition half.

The Reds boss also had words of praise for Elliott, whose 76th-minute strike at the Kop end was his first goal for the senior team and arrived in his first game back after five months out with a dislocated ankle.

The 18-year-old suffered the injury in the 3-0 win at Leeds United in September, but his manager said he handled the setback admirably.

"He's a kid, yes. On the pitch not so much," Klopp added. "He was buzzing. He was waiting for this moment. We were all waiting but the fact we could do it today was so nice.

"I was in a worse mood than he was after the injury. He was like, 'Come on boss, head up. I'll be back!'"

Harvey Elliott scored on his return to action as Liverpool eventually overcame Cardiff City at Anfield on Sunday to head through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The Reds were made to work hard by the Championship side but second-half goals from Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Elliott saw them run out 3-1 winners, the second assisted by debutant Luis Diaz.

Steve Morison's Bluebirds spent the majority of the game defending but were well organised and frustrated Liverpool for large periods, and Rubin Colwill grabbed a consolation goal to delight the travelling Welsh fans.

The fifth-round draw was made before the game and Jurgen Klopp's side will host Norwich City next up.

Cardiff started brightly but it was Liverpool who should have been ahead early on after a clever turn from Jota ended with the Portugal international firing straight at Dillon Phillips.

The Premier League side struggled to break down a stubborn visiting defence and had to wait until the 34th minute for their next big chance as a nice move down the left ended with Minamino finding Curtis Jones, who hit his effort high into the Anfield Road End.

Liverpool were finally ahead in the 53rd minute as a Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick was expertly glanced past Phillips' dive to his right by Jota.

There were big cheers again shortly after as Elliott and Diaz were brought off the bench by Klopp, and the Colombia international played a big role in Liverpool's second as he dispossessed Perry Ng before pulling the ball back for Minamino to fire home.

Elliott joined in the action as he fired a shot in at the Kop end after an Andy Robertson cross fell to him, before Colwill pulled one back with an equally impressive finish with 10 minutes to go.

What does it mean? Reds still in the hunt for four trophies

The fourth round of the FA Cup has not been kind to Klopp since his arrival in England.

In their six previous campaigns under the German, Liverpool have been eliminated at this stage on four occasions – more than any other side in the competition in this time.

However, they march on after a win here and remain as one of only two Premier League sides, along with Chelsea, who can still win at least four trophies this season.

Who needs Salah and Mane?

Liverpool had 82 per cent of possession in the first half but failed to carve out many meaningful chances.

The pressure told early in the second half, though, and this now makes it five wins out of six in all competitions since star duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane left for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bluebirds must now sing in the league

Morison can be pleased with the effort of his team at Anfield, especially considering he made eight changes to the team that beat Barnsley last time out.

However, now their FA Cup journey is over they must find a way to show the same determination in the Championship, where they sit in 20th spot, nine points ahead of Peterborough United in the relegation zone but having played a game more.

What’s next?

Liverpool host Leicester City in the Premier League on Thursday while Cardiff are at home to Peterborough in the Championship on Wednesday.

Middlesbrough's reward for knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup is a home tie with Tottenham in the fifth round.

Chris Wilder's Boro eliminated the Red Devils on Friday on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford and will now face Antonio Conte's Spurs, who beat Brighton 3-1 on Saturday.

Only one guaranteed all-Premier League tie was drawn for the fifth round with Southampton hosting West Ham after David Moyes' side survived a scare at National League North outfit Kidderminster Harriers.

Among the Premier League elite, Chelsea will travel to Luton Town,  Manchester City are away to Peterborough United, and Liverpool will welcome Norwich City to Anfield should they get past Cardiff City on Sunday.

Cup holders Leicester will be at home to Huddersfield Town if they beat Nottingham Forest, while Stoke City travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.

Frank Lampard's Everton will play either Bournemouth or Boreham Wood at Goodison Park, where the former Chelsea boss got off to a tremendous start with a 4-1 win over Brentford on Saturday.

FA Cup fifth-round draw in full:

Luton Town v Chelsea, Crystal Palace v Stoke City, Peterborough United v Manchester City, Liverpool or Cardiff City v Norwich City, Southampton v West Ham, Middlesbrough v Tottenham, Nottingham Forest or Leicester City v Huddersfield Town, Everton v Bournemouth or Boreham Wood.

Ties will be played week commencing February 28.

Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss Liverpool's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Cardiff City on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Merseyside club confirmed ahead of the game at Anfield that the players tested positive "recently" but both have already completed the required isolation period and are able to resume training.

However, neither have had enough time to prepare for the clash with the Championship side.

New signing Luis Diaz does make the squad and starts on the bench for Jurgen Klopp's men, along with the returning Harvey Elliott.

It is a particular blow to Gomez, who was expected to feature having only made 12 appearances this season, eight of which have come from the bench after recovering from a tendon injury in his left knee suffered in November 2020 that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed a run in the side on the right of Liverpool's attack while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, scoring in wins against Brentford and Crystal Palace. Takumi Minamino replaces the former Arsenal man.

Diaz makes the bench after completing a move to the Reds from Porto last week, while Elliott returns to the squad for the first time since dislocating his ankle in the win against Leeds United in September.

Sweden striker Alexander Isak's reputation continues to grow at Real Sociedad.

The 22-year-old has netted eight goals in all competitions this season after 17 strikes in LaLiga last term.

Isak is contracted with Sociedad until 2026, meaning they are under no pressure to cash him in.

However, there appears to be plenty of interest among clubs who want to test La Real's resolve to keep him.

TOP STORY – BLUES AND RED DEVILS ENTER ISAK RACE

Chelsea and Manchester United have both joined the race to sign Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak, according to The Mirror.

Arsenal have been keen on the 22-year-old Sweden international, who has a £75million buyout clause in his contract.

United are said to view Isak as an ideal replacement for veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo whose future at Old Trafford is unclear.

ROUND-UP

- Juventus are bullish that they can beat Tottenham in the race to sign Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo, claims La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Bianconeri view Zaniolo as a replacement for Paulo Dybala, whose contract is running down.

- Manchester United and Liverpool have joined Real Madrid and Barcelona in keeping tabs on Serge Gnabry's contract situation at Bayern Munich, reports The Mirror. According to Sky Germany, Bayern and Gnabry are having a stand-off in discussions over an extension.

- Liverpool's deal to land Fulham's Fabio Carvalho is not dead, says Football Insider, with the two parties set for new talks with a view to an off-season switch. Calciomercato claims that Milan have also reached out to Carvalho's representatives.

- The Sun reports that Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea are monitoring 16-year-old Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips, with Everton and Tottenham also keeping tabs on the teenager.

Jurgen Klopp concedes it would be "really strange" if Luis Diaz was able to immediately show his best form for Liverpool but is "really happy and excited" about what he can bring to the Reds.

The Colombia winger joined from Porto after signing a long-term contract at Anfield in a deal reported to be worth an initial £37.5million with a further £12.5m in add-ons.

Diaz was a man in demand with Liverpool reportedly beating off competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham, while Everton had previously been linked with his signature.

At Liverpool, Diaz joins an already stacked attacking line-up that includes Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.

Klopp accepts there is likely to be a bedding-in period for his new signing but has no doubt he can make a huge contribution at the club.

"Luis, let me say it like this, if he now came and stepped on the pitch and was immediately at his best and playing better than everyone else it would be really strange," Klopp said ahead of Liverpool's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Cardiff City.

"He needs time to adapt, but that doesn't mean I speak about four or five months, I haven't even seen him yet in training so maybe we should wait a little bit.

"But I'm really happy and excited about the signing, it's a really good sign that we work on all fronts to improve this team, that's how it always is in football. Obviously how it works is we have to be successful now and in the future. He can help with both that's a really good thing.

"We signed him because we like pretty much everything about him. I followed him now for a while not only since we played them twice in the Champions League. 

"He has the speed, skillset, and character to have a really good career. We want him to have that career with us. 

"I'm really happy we could get him in now, he can help us, we can help him. His story so far is a special one. Now he's one of us, we can't wait to welcome him here."

Klopp's options are set to be further boosted this weekend, with Naby Keita back from Africa Cup of Nations duty. Thiago Alcantara has also been back in training having been absent since December due to a thigh issue but a chest infection may curtail his chances of a return, while Divock Origi could be in contention after a knee injury.

And in further good news, talented midfielder Harvey Elliott is set to play against Cardiff this weekend after five months out as a result of a horrific fracture-dislocation of his ankle sustained against Leeds United.

"Very impressed with his rehabilitation. Harvey was the perfect client, he did pretty much everything we told him," Klopp added.

"He is in a good place, we have to see if it's right for him to start or come on but he'll definitely be in the squad for the Cardiff game.

"He has now step-by-step to get back to his best but he's close, very close."

Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar has not been impressed by Mohamed Salah's displays and says the forward cannot consider himself on the same level as Kylian Mbappe.

Salah has scored two and set up another in five matches in Egypt's run to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, where hosts Cameroon await in Yaounde on Thursday.

The 29-year-old has also enjoyed another prolific campaign at club level, having scored 23 goals in 26 games for Liverpool in all competitions.

That compares to 19 goals in 29 matches for Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe, who has made a slow start to 2022 with one goal in his first four appearances.

Indeed, Robert Lewandowski (34 in 28) and Karim Benzema (24 in 28) are the only players to outscore Salah among those from Europe's top five leagues this term.

However, speaking ahead of Thursday's meeting between Cameroon and Egypt, Aboubakar insists Salah is not currently on the same level as Mbappe.

"He is having a great season in the Premier League and is helping his country to advance in the competition. I wish him a lot of luck. May the best win," Aboubakar told RFI.

"He doesn't impress me much. I say it clearly because I'm an honest person and I have my way of seeing things.

"If he impressed me, I would say so. But he doesn't impress me much. He's a good player, he scores a lot but he doesn't produce a lot of stuff in the game.

"Of course, he's doing good stuff in the Premier League because he's been in a team that's been there for years. He's a good player but not at the level of some like Mbappe."

After scoring and assisting in the 2-1 quarter-final win against Morocco, Salah has been involved in 62 per cent of Egypt's AFCON goals since his competition debut in 2017 (8/13).

He trails Aboubakar in the race to be crowned the delayed 2021 edition's top scorer, though, with the Cameroon skipper leading the charts thanks to his six goals.

That is one goal more than team-mate Karl Toko Ekambi, with the pair responsible for all 11 of the hosts' goals up to this point.

Asked about his blossoming partnership with Toko Ekambi, Aboubakar said: "We are complementary to each other, but the most important thing is for the team to win.

"If me, Karl or any other player manages to score and Cameroon win, that's the most important thing. We must raise Cameroon to the top in this competition."

Erling Haaland would suit playing for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, according to Ruud Gullit. 

Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland is expected to be one of the most in-demand players when the transfer market re-opens in the close season. 

The 21-year-old reportedly has a clause in his contract that means he will be available for €75million (£68m), a fee that looks like a bargain given his goalscoring exploits. 

Manchester City are believed to be the frontrunners for his signature, while Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid have also been heavily linked. 

Gullit does not believe United will be able to beat the competition to Haaland's signature, with the former Netherlands international claiming Liverpool will be the best place for the Dortmund star to take the next step in his career. 

"I see him in England, but I don't think he'll go to Manchester United," Gullit told Bild. 

"City would be good for him because of Pep Guardiola. But Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool would also be great. What Jurgen has done with the club is unbelievable. You just have to love him, and he's always hungry. That suits Haaland. 

"In Spain, only Real Madrid is an option. These are the three clubs that will be in the running for Erling." 

Since his debut for Dortmund on January 18, 2020, Haaland has been involved in 97 goals (80 scored, 17 assisted) in 79 appearances in all competitions for the club. That is over double the number of goal involvements Sadio Mane has had for Liverpool in the same time frame (43) and 14 more than Mohamed Salah, who has played in 18 more games.

Another player linked with a move to the Premier League is Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule. 

Sule will be out of contract at the end of the season and will be available on a free if he does not agree to a renewal with Bayern beforehand. 

Should the Bundesliga champions need to dip into the market to reinforce their squad, Gullit believes Juventus' Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt would be a good solution. 

"Matthijs has experienced and learned a lot at Juventus. He could make a very good contribution to Bayern," he said. 

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move to Barcelona belatedly confirmed on Tuesday, transfer business in Europe's top five leagues is now over until the end of the season.

Not every leading club traded in January – Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and, not for want of trying, Milan were all quiet – but there were plenty of deals done that may yet alter the landscape of this campaign.

So, who boosted their title bid or European push? And whose hopes took a hit after failing to make the most of the past month?

Stats Perform picks out the winners and losers of the transfer window, starting with the biggest move of all...

WINNERS

Juventus

This has been another tough season for Juve, who enter February on the outside looking in at Serie A's top-four race. But they could have done little more in the window to address their issues, plugging the hole left in their attack by first Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and then Federico Chiesa's injury by bringing in Dusan Vlahovic, Serie A's leading marksman, for €75million – the biggest buy of 2022 so far.

There were departures, but Dejan Kulusevski has hardly been a key man and Rodrigo Bentancur's exit was offset by the bargain capture of Denis Zakaria, while the Bianconeri will no doubt be grateful to get at least part of Aaron Ramsey's salary off the books.

Barcelona

Another struggling European Super League advocate, Barcelona's finances are tighter than Juve's, but they got creative to bolster a squad still coming to terms with Lionel Messi's absence. Ferran Torres appeared to be the replacement for the retired Sergio Aguero, only for Aubameyang to also arrive right at the last, surely bringing to an end Luuk de Jong's short, unsuccessful stint as the Blaugrana's leading man.

Dani Alves and Adama Traore each returned to Camp Nou, too, as Philippe Coutinho and a chunk of his wages headed out on loan.

Aston Villa

Coutinho may have been unwanted at Barca, but his signing represented a major coup for former team-mate Steven Gerrard at Villa. A goal on his debut against Manchester United suggested the one-time Liverpool superstar may yet have what it takes to shine in the Premier League.

Lucas Digne's arrival at left-back significantly upgraded that position, meanwhile, and ensures Villa are looking up the table, not down. Although this feels a little like a lost season – 12 points from the top four, 11 from the bottom three – two eye-catching deals should at least give fans plenty to shout about.

Sevilla

If Villa lack any obvious short-term objective, the same is not true of Sevilla. Julen Lopetegui's men are second in LaLiga, firmly in a title fight with Madrid, and targeting a Europa League final at their home stadium. Persistent talk of a departure for defender Diego Carlos, targeted by Newcastle United, therefore represented a concern, but director of football Monchi stood firm – and then landed a stunning signing, too.

Anthony Martial blew hot and cold at Manchester United but should be the main man in Spain, where he offers far more than Sevilla's other striking options. With his goals at one end and Diego Carlos' enduring partnership with Jules Kounde at the other, this could yet be a sensational season.

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool could easily have let January pass without doing business, having no real need to improve their side in the short term. But then Tottenham agreed a deal with Porto for Luis Diaz, and the Reds sensed an opportunity, swooping in to secure his £33.3m signing. Liverpool have the luxury of not needing Diaz to hit the ground running, with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah soon returning from international duty, yet he appears an ideal long-term replacement in one of the attacking positions.

LOSERS

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta must fear Arsenal's momentum has been lost. The Gunners headed into January on a five-match winning run in all competitions, only to fail to add another victory in five games before February, crashing out of both domestic cups and falling out of the top four. New signings could have righted the ship, yet Arsenal ended the month with Colorado Rapids defender Auston Trusty – loaned back to MLS – as their only done deal.

A move for Vlahovic was dismissed by the player and trumped by Juve, while long-standing interest in Bruno Guimaraes did not materialise into a transfer, as the Brazil midfielder instead joined Newcastle. Arteta trimmed the squad in securing temporary and permanent departures for Aubameyang, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac, Pablo Mari, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Folarin Balogun, but Arsenal did not raise a fee for any of them.

West Ham

Flush with cash and without the serious threat of losing star performer Declan Rice, January brought opportunity for West Ham, joining modest spenders Arsenal, United and Tottenham in a top-four tussle. However, despite reports of increasingly wild big-money bids, the Hammers did not make a single recruit.

Interest in Leeds United pair Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha seemed optimistic at best, but failing to land either was not as costly as the inability to provide competition up front. Although Hugo Ekitike and Darwin Nunez were both discussed, the club remain a Michail Antonio injury away from a crisis.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Arsenal career appears to be over.

The Gabon forward was in Barcelona on Monday and it appeared a move would be finalised before the end of the transfer window.

However, the deadline ticked by without official confirmation, but the transfer is expected to go through on Tuesday.

That would make him Barca's third signing of the Xavi era, after Ferran Torres and Adama Traore.

TOP STORY – AUBA TO JOIN XAVI AT CAMP NOU

Widespread reports claim that Arsenal and Barca have agreed to a rather strange deal for Aubameyang.

The 32-year-old has reportedly agreed to a six-month contract at Barca, with the option for a further year, with Arsenal seemingly agreeing to forego a transfer fee in order to get their former captain, who has not featured since December, off the books.

Aubameyang is essentially a free agent, so that allows the deal to be completed after the deadline passed.

ROUND-UP

- Fabio Carvalho's proposed deadline day move from Fulham to Liverpool did not come off, though The Times reports that the Reds are keen to sign the youngster on a pre-contract agreement. 

- Sky Sports reported that Arsenal will save up to £25million following Aubameyang's departure, which The Express claim will be used to fund Mikel Arteta's transfer dealings in the off-season.

- Bild has reported that Real Madrid have already tabled a pre-contract agreement for Kylian Mbappe, who they are hoping to sign from Paris Saint-Germain.

- Journalist Xavi Torres believes Barcelona will attempt to terminate Ousmane Dembele's contract. The France winger is set to leave on a free at the end of the season.

- West Ham failed in a last-ditch bid to sign striker Duvan Zapata from Atalanta, according to Sky Sports.

Arsenal cancelled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's contract to pave the way for the striker to join Barcelona, while Ousmane Dembele remains at Camp Nou following an eventful transfer day across Europe.

Aubameyang had five months to run on his Emirates Stadium deal but was told he could join Barca on a free transfer, which is set to be announced by the LaLiga giants on Tuesday.

Despite some confirmed interest from at least one club in England, and the threat of not playing for the rest of the season, Dembele opted to stay put in Catalonia until at least the end of the season.

Those players were discussed heavily throughout deadline day, but arguably the most remarkable transfer happened early on Monday when Christian Eriksen officially joined Brentford.

It marks a return to the Premier League – and indeed a football pitch – for Eriksen, just seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 and subsequently being fitted with a heart-starting device.

Newcastle live up to big-spending billing

In their first transfer window under their new ownership, Newcastle United spent more than any side on the continent and rounded things off by bringing in some much-needed defensive options in Dan Burn and Matt Targett.

Boyhood Newcastle fan Burn joined from Brighton and Hove Albion in a reported £13million deal, while left-back Targett will spend the rest of the season at St James' Park on loan from Aston Villa.

But it was not all good news for the Magpies as they missed out on a deal for France Under-20s striker Hugo Ekitike, who is reported to have had second thoughts and decided to remain at Reims. There was also no move for Jesse Lingard.

Tottenham and Juventus the busiest clubs

Antonio Conte was backed by the Tottenham board on deadline day with the arrivals of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski as part of a double deal with Juventus.

Bentancur is reported to have cost Spurs an initial £15.9m (€19m) on a deal that will run through until the end of the 2025-26 season, and he will be joined in north London by Kulusevski on an initial 18-month loan with the option to buy.

It was not all about incoming activity for Tottenham in the final stages of the window, though, as club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele was returned to Lyon for the rest of the season and Bryan Gil and Giovanni Lo Celso were loaned out to LaLiga sides Valencia and Villarreal respectively.

And in a deal that went through more than an hour after the 23:00 GMT cut-off point, Dele Alli joined Everton in a transfer that could potentially earn Spurs £40m should various clauses be triggered.

Having offloaded Bentancur and Kulusevski, meanwhile, Juve further trimmed their squad by allowing Aaron Ramsey to sign for Rangers until the end of the campaign, with those deals offset by the arrival of Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Big boys quiet

Manchester City got a deal over the line for Argentina international Julian Alvarez before loaning the young forward straight back to River Plate, but it was otherwise a relatively quiet day for Europe's elite clubs.

Manchester United's only piece of business on Monday was allowing midfield outcast Donny van de Beek join Everton on loan, while Liverpool let Nat Phillips head to Bournemouth for the rest of 2021-22. The second-tier Cherries also signed Todd Cantwell, recently a target for Liverpool, to bolster their promotion ambitions.

Liverpool had hoped to bring in highly rated youngster Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, but a deal is reported to have fallen through shortly before the cut-off point after terms had already been agreed.

There was no such activity for fellow Premier League heavyweights Chelsea, as was the case for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain – despite links with Dembele – Bayern Munich, Inter, Milan and Real Madrid.

But reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid did manage to strengthen at left-back by bringing in Reinildo Mandava from French champions Lille.

Other notable deals...

Unsurprisingly, Premier League clubs flexed their financial muscles in a final attempt to strengthen before the deadline.

Crystal Palace turned striker Jean-Philippe Mateta's loan from Mainz into a permanent deal and Burnley signed Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg, who moved quickly to bring in FC Copenhagen striker Jonas Wind as a replacement.

Elsewhere, Deniz Undav put pen to paper with Brighton before being loaned back to Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The Seagulls also signed Benicio Baker-Boaitey on loan from Porto with a view to a permanent move.

Liverpool have completed the signing of Colombia star Luis Diaz from Porto after beating Premier League rivals Tottenham to a January deal.

The player will join up with Jurgen Klopp's side on a "long-term" contract – reported to be until the end of the 2026-27 season – with the fee believed to be an initial £37.5million (€45m), with a further £12.5m (€15m) in add-ons.

Diaz, who is currently on international duty with Colombia and played in the 1-0 defeat to Peru on Friday, passed a medical after a Liverpool delegation flew out to Argentina to complete the deal.

Colombia play against the Copa America holders on Tuesday as they desperately bid to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar later this year alive.

The 25-year-old had reportedly been subject to a bid from Tottenham earlier in the January transfer window, but the Reds have stepped in to bring the player to Anfield instead.

In August, Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton attempted to sign Diaz in a deal that would have involved his Colombia team-mate James Rodriguez returning to Porto. However, the deal fell through late on.

Diaz joined Porto from Colombian side Atletico Junior in 2019 and registered 12 goals and seven assists across his first two Primeira Liga campaigns.

After impressing at the 2021 Copa America where he top-scored alongside Lionel Messi with four goals, Diaz has stepped up his attacking output significantly this season, scoring 14 times and providing four assists across 18 league games, as well as netting twice from six Champions League outings.

Only Benfica's Darwin Nunez (15) has scored more Primeira Liga goals this season, and only Braga's Ricardo Horta (41) has created more chances than Diaz (39), while he leads the league for touches in the opposition penalty area by a distance (162) ahead of second-placed Porto striker Mehdi Taremi (120).

It is also notable that another Porto winger, Otavio (22), is the only player to have won possession more often than Diaz (18) in the attacking third of the pitch, a characteristic Klopp's attackers are often renowned for, given the German's high-press system. 

Diaz's pace and dribbling ability are also real assets. Indeed, only two players in Portugal's top tier this season have completed more dribbles than his 46.

Liverpool will be hoping that Diaz can aid them in their quest for silverware this season, with the Reds still in the Champions League and FA Cup, as well as having reached next month's EFL Cup final against Chelsea, though they are nine points behind Manchester City in the Premier League with a game in hand.