Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP in the Europa League round-of-16 at Emirates Stadium.

Granit Xhaka handed the Gunners a first-half lead but that advantage was cancelled out in spectacular style by Pote's long-range effort that sent the tie into extra time.

Adan ensured the tie went the full distance with crucial saves to deny Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhaes, though Sporting finished with 10 men after Manuel Ugarte's dismissal.

Adan's heroics came again in the showdown from the spot, denying Gabriel Martinelli's attempt before Nuno Santos scored to send Sporting into the quarter-finals.

The Gunners took the lead after 19 minutes, with Xhaka playing a superb ball over the top for Martinelli to force Adan into a save but the Switzerland international was on hand to smash home the rebound.

Sporting started the second period on the front foot and found the equaliser in stunning fashion shortly after the hour mark, Pote spotting Ramsdale off his line and lobbing the England international from 46 yards out.

The Gunners stopper redeemed himself 10 minutes later, charging off his line to block Marcus Edwards' effort with his face after the former Tottenham youngster was fed through by Ricardo Esgaio.

Trossard was gifted a golden opportunity in extra time when Youssef Chermiti sloppily gave the ball away but Adan denied the Belgian and deflected his effort onto the post.

The Sporting stopper was again on hand to deny Gabriel's powerful header, the Brazilian then seeing another attempt from the following corner cleared off the line before Ugarte saw red after a second booking due to clattering into Bukayo Saka as the game headed to penalties.

With the first seven penalties of the shoot-out scored, Adan thwarted Arsenal again, diving low to his left to deny Martinelli before Nuno Santos comfortably dispatched his attempt to seal a spot in the last-eight.

Gabriel Jesus was named in Arsenal's starting XI for their Europa League clash with Sporting CP.

Jesus returned from injury as a second-half substitute in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Fulham on Sunday, a victory that moved them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The former Manchester City forward had not featured since sustaining a knee injury while on duty with Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

Jesus' last goal came at the start of October, in a 3-1 defeat of Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham.

With the last-16 tie against Sporting level at 2-2 after the first leg in Lisbon, Mikel Arteta selected Jesus to lead Arsenal's line at Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

Reiss Nelson kept his starting place from the first leg, with Gabriel Martinelli completing the front three as Bukayo Saka dropped to the bench.

Matt Turner, Ben White and Jakub Kiwior started in Lisbon, but Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Magalhaes came into the defence for the rematch, with Jorginho, Fabio Vieira and Granit Xhaka keeping their places in midfield.

William Saliba put Arsenal ahead on March 9 before Goncalo Inacio and Paulinho turned matters around, but Hidemasa Morita's own goal ensured the second leg would start on level terms.

Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey were the first-team regulars named alongside Saka on the bench, with Arteta juggling progress in Europe with the Gunners' title charge – they face Crystal Palace at home on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta named Rafael Nadal as his number one idol and joked he hopes the tennis great chooses to attend an Arsenal game over Tottenham.

The Arsenal manager was asked to name the person – sports star or otherwise – he admires most in wake of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola revealing Hollywood A-lister Julia Roberts was one of his idols.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-16 second leg against Sporting CP, Arteta said: "Off the top of my head, Nadal is someone I've admired for a long, long time.

"His mentality, what he's won, the way he's done it, the way he's bounced back – he's top of my list for sure."

Guardiola, who named Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan as his other idols, quipped he felt upset that Roberts decided to visit City's fierce rivals Manchester United when she visited the city seven years ago.

Asked if he hoped Real Madrid supporter Nadal would opt for Arsenal over fellow north London side Tottenham, Arteta said: "I hope so."

Arteta had every right to be in high spirits when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, with his side five points clear of City at the top of the Premier League after easing to a 3-0 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Arsenal's focus now switches to the Europa League and the visit of Sporting, who they are locked at 2-2 with after last week's entertaining first leg in Portugal.

Rather than seeing the match as a distraction ahead of facing Crystal Palace in their final league match before the international break, Arteta is relishing playing in front of a large home crowd in a European competition.

"We haven't had a big European night for three years," he said. "Hopefully it will be a really good atmosphere and we can enjoy it.

"We know Sporting are a good team and they'll provide a challenge."

Much like ahead of the first leg, Arteta was unwilling to give much away in terms of team selection, but he did provide a positive update on Gabriel Jesus after the striker's return from a four-month lay-off against Fulham.

"It was great to see him back. You can feel the happiness of everyone around him - we missed him and now he's back," Arteta said.

"We have to manage his minutes, his involvement. He's feeling good and every day he's training he says his sensations are better so that's really positive.

"As for the team, we're looking to do the same as we did in Lisbon but we know we're going to have to do better than we did last week."

Ruben Amorim intends to stay as Sporting CP head coach after being linked with a move to Tottenham.

It appears likely Antonio Conte will end his short tenure at Spurs at the end of the season, when his contract expires.

Conte will have spent less than two years at the helm of the north London side, leading them into the Champions League but proving unable to deliver a trophy.

Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper and Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi have also played down links to Tottenham.

Amorim has attracted attention as one of Europe's brightest young coaches, impressing at Braga before joining Sporting in March 2020 and winning a Primeira Liga title in his first full season in charge.

Sporting were runners-up to Porto last season and are only fourth this term, but 38-year-old Amorim remains widely admired.

Asked about reports of Tottenham interest at a press conference on Saturday, Amorim said: "My objective is that I have a contract with Sporting for another three years and in my head is to be champion at least once more in those three years.

"If we win two championships in that time it's a step forward. I'm interested in showing results and not what is said abroad."

The coach, whose team play Boavista on Sunday, last week chalked up his 100th win in charge of Sporting as they beat Portimonense 1-0 on league duty.

Sporting allowed defender Pedro Porro to join Tottenham in January, but Amorim may be more difficult to prise away from Lisbon.

Amorim was quoted in Portuguese media on Saturday as saying: "I've always been treated well in Portugal, they follow my day to day; abroad they watch European games and titles, not the daily context.

"I've always felt recognised. When I'm good, I'm the greatest. My goal is to get back to being very good."

Mikel Arteta did not hide his frustration with Arsenal's performance in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Sporting CP, but Fabio Vieira's display brought him a degree of pleasure.

The Gunners took the lead in the first half when William Saliba headed in from Vieira's corner, only for their hosts to level in similar circumstances just past the half-hour mark at the Jose Alvalade.

Paulinho put Sporting in front after the break with a tap-in, but Hidemasa Morita's own goal seven minutes later ultimately secured Arsenal a draw to take back to Emirates Stadium for the return leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

The draw puts Arsenal – who have only lost at home twice all season – in a decent position ahead of the second leg, but Arteta feels they can do better, even considering the somewhat unfamiliar look to his starting XI.

"We are conceding too many simple goals," he told reporters.

"We spoke about the importance of boxes, especially in a competition where you're in or out. [On Thursday], we didn't defend that well enough, and we have to be better at threatening the opponents as well.

"But of course, you have an opponent there. We've played some really emotional games recently.

"We made a lot of changes and sometimes that takes time to get that cohesion, and you could feel it in the first 15 minutes that it needed some time to adapt and click.

"If we don't expose them, though, that's never going to happen."

He added: "When you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe, it's very difficult to get a positive result.

"The game had different phases because we gave too many simple balls away in our own half and gave them the capacity to [exploit] transition moments, which they are good at.

"In other moments we had total control of the game and we lost a little bit of threat, especially with the four players we are missing in our frontline.

"There were some positives because we showed a lot of resilience to get back into the game, but we need to defend our box much better and be better on Sunday."

Vieira's performance was a surely one of those positives.

The Portugal international was given only his 13th start of the season, but his delivery for Saliba's opener was his sixth assist already – only Bukayo Saka (nine) has more for the Gunners this term, and he has played almost 1,600 minutes more than Vieira.

Arteta clearly values the former Porto midfielder.

"I'm really happy with him," he added. "I think he deserves more minutes than he's had, especially in the last two months.

"Obviously he had a difficult start because he was injured for two months after a surgery, and wasn't at the level that we want.

"You saw tonight he was probably our most dangerous player. He was always making things happen. He's a player that I absolutely love."

Arsenal kept their hopes of winning a famous double on track with a fiery 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at Sporting CP on Thursday.

The Gunners took the lead, went behind and fought back to ensure it ended all square at Estadio Jose Alvalade in a four-goal encounter high on drama.

First-half headers from William Saliba and Goncalo Inacio left the two sides on level terms at the break, before Paulinho's tap-in had pushed Ruben Amorim's men in front.

But a Hidemasa Morita own goal just beyond the hour mark ensured Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders will head into next week's second leg level with the Portuguese side.

On a humid evening, both teams started in cagey fashion, creating few clear-cut chances amid an atmosphere of simmering tension.

That taut mood increased in the 22nd minute when Saliba rose to power Fabio Vieira's corner home, with an off-the-ball altercation involving Oleksandr Zinchenko then sparking a minor melee.

Sporting refused to be cowed by their concession though, and took just a dozen minutes to strike back in near-identical fashion, with Inacio the man to divert a Marcus Edwards set-piece past Matt Turner.

The hosts then hit the front just 10 minutes after the restart, when Turner parried a Pote attempt straight to Paulinho, who fired home from close range.

Arsenal rose to the occasion once again though, albeit not without controversy after Bukayo Saka was adjudged to have been committed a foul in the build-up to Granit Xhaka's finish ricocheting in off Morita.

That left the tie nicely poised ahead of the return leg at Emirates Stadium next week.

Mikel Arteta remains "fully focused" on guiding Arsenal to Premier League glory this season amid rumours he is wanted by Real Madrid to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Arsenal are five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the English top flight in pursuit of their first title since the 2003-04 campaign.

Arteta has been widely praised for his work at Emirates Stadium in his third full season in charge, with a report from Spain on Wednesday suggesting Madrid could make a move.

Ancelotti is said to be under pressure as Madrid head coach, despite guiding the club to a LaLiga and Champions League double last season.

However, when asked about the speculation ahead of Arsenal's Europa League last-16 first-leg tie with Sporting CP, Arteta said he is giving it little thought.

"It's things that managers or players can’t control, what is written," he said at Wednesday's pre-match press conference. 

"What I can tell you is that I'm fully focused on what I'm doing here and extremely proud and grateful to do what I'm doing in this football club. That's it."

Arteta's focus will switch from the Premier League to Europa League on Thursday when Arsenal take on Portuguese heavyweights Sporting at Estadio Jose Alvalade.

It is the third of six games in the space of 18 days for the Gunners, but Arteta hinted he will not look to rotate his squad for the European tie.

"We have one team and we have to play the games with the best possible players to win it," he said. "There have been moments where we have made eight changes. 

"We try to accommodate. Players have moments throughout the season where they're available and when they're not. For sure we will try to pick the best team to win the game.

"Of course everyone wants to play. It's true as well when we've wanted to rotate players they've been injured and unavailable. Tomorrow that may be the case. 

"Sometimes it's been difficult and players have to deserve to play the minutes. Being fair in football is very difficult. 

"You have to be really good at communicating your decisions to help players understand what you do, but all the time you have to think for the best of the team. 

"We want everybody to feel important and we are going to try to make them feel like that."

Gabriel Jesus took part in training on the eve of the Sporting match, but Arteta gave little away when asked if the striker could make his first appearance since November.

"News on the squad will be tomorrow," he said. "We have brought a few players and you will see who is available."

Asked if Kieran Tierney, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah are available, Arteta said: "Let’s see how they evolve. 

"We're trying to accommodate everybody and get them in the best position for tomorrow."

Gabriel Jesus trained alongside his Arsenal team-mates ahead of Thursday's meeting with Sporting CP as the striker eyes a return to action following a three-month injury lay-off.

Jesus made an immediate impact upon his arrival from Manchester City last July, helping Arsenal to the Premier League summit, but he has not played since suffering a knee injury in December.

Having undergone surgery on the injury – which he sustained while representing Brazil at the World Cup – Jesus returned to light training last month.

While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said Jesus was "not far" from a return ahead of Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win over Bournemouth, he added the 25-year-old had "much more to do" before he could be reintegrated into the matchday squad.

On Wednesday, however, Arsenal were handed a huge boost as Jesus was pictured training outside with his team-mates ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash with Sporting.

Jesus has scored five goals in 14 Premier League outings for Arsenal and laid on five assists, a tally only bettered by Bukayo Saka (nine) and Martin Odegaard (six) among his Gunners team-mates this season.

After travelling to Lisbon for the first leg of their last-16 tie with Sporting, Arsenal go to Fulham for their next Premier League outing on Sunday, bidding to extend a five-point advantage over City at the top of the table.

Manchester United have been drawn to face Real Betis in the Europa League's round of 16, while Arsenal will battle Sporting CP for a quarter-final spot.

United came from behind to clinch a 2-1 victory over Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday, and their reward for a 4-3 aggregate triumph over the Blaugrana is a tie against another Spanish opponent.

Having not lifted any silverware since winning this competition in 2017, United are in the hunt for four trophies this term, though Erik ten Hag's men will be tested by a side sat fifth in LaLiga.

Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini has faced United on four previous occasions in European competitions, with all four games finishing goalless during his time with Villarreal (in the 2005-06 and 2008-09 Champions League group stages).

Premier League leaders Arsenal will face Sporting after Ruben Amorim's team thrashed Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate in the knockout round play-offs.

Sporting have progressed from each of their previous six ties against English teams in the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, with all six coming against different teams.

The other standout last-16 ties see Juventus meet Freiburg, while Jose Mourinho's Roma will take on Real Sociedad as they bid to follow up last season's inaugural Europa Conference League triumph.  

Feyenoord, who Roma beat in the final of that competition, have been paired with Shakhtar Donetsk, while surprise Bundesliga challengers Union Berlin will face Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise.

Six-time winners Sevilla – the most successful club in UEFA Cup/Europa League history – will face Fenerbahce, while Bayer Leverkusen will take on Ferencvaros. 

The first legs of the last-16 ties will take place on March 9, with the group-stage winners hosting the return fixtures one week later. 

Europa League last-16 draw in full

Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Juventus v Freiburg
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Sporting CP v Arsenal
Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise

Chelsea completed an extraordinary spending spree by landing World Cup star Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, the biggest deal of transfer deadline day.

It was Premier League clubs that featured front and centre as big-name players found new homes on Tuesday, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City kept busy.

Deals struck on this day can be born of desperation; however, if the right player becomes available, those that jump at the opportunity to reinforce might be thankful they took that choice come May.

Here Stats Perform assesses five deals that went through and could prove hugely significant come the season's end.

Enzo Fernandez: Benfica to Chelsea, £106.8million

A World Cup wonder for Argentina, Fernandez's stock soared over four weeks in Qatar, to the point he became linked to the wealthiest clubs in Europe.

It was Chelsea owner Todd Boehly who lasted the distance in the race for his signature, adding Fernandez to the previous window deals for Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto.

Fernandez has only played half a season in Europe after moving to Benfica from River Plate, so there is an element of risk in Chelsea's investment, regardless of his national team performances alongside Lionel Messi and co.

He has played five Champions League group games, and the 22-year-old has looked the part, with his arrival handing Graham Potter another expensive plaything. This means there can be no excuses now for the head coach as he looks to turn the Blues into a winning machine.

Marcel Sabitzer: Bayern Munich to Manchester United (loan)

Bayern Munich decided they could afford to part company with Sabitzer, with the former RB Leipzig midfielder jetting out to secure a move to Manchester United, swapping one European giant for another.

It was reported Erik ten Hag fancied Ryan Gravenberch, his former Ajax player, but Bayern were said to have resisted that interest and instead allowed United to take Austria international Sabitzer.

He emerged as a surprising spare part for Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, with Sabitzer having featured in 23 games for the Bundesliga leaders this season, albeit starting only 11 times.

Ten Hag will certainly like the fact Sabitzer has a duel success rate of 58.77 per cent – the highest of his career – this season.

He is not a like-for-like replacement for the injured Christian Eriksen, but Sabitzer brings his own qualities, will want to prove a point, and should not let United down over the coming four months.

 

Jorginho: Chelsea to Arsenal, £12million

Arsenal wanted Moises Caicedo and were prepared to pay a king's ransom for the Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder. They settled for Jorginho, a Euro 2020 champion with Italy and Champions League winner with Chelsea, paying a small fraction of the fee they would have had to spend on Caicedo.

A deal worth around £12million looks sensible business, and Jorginho makes the jump from 10th-placed Chelsea to the table-topping Gunners, seeking the first domestic league title of his career.

He played 25 games this season for the Blues, scoring three penalties but not managing any goals other than those spot-kicks, nor any assists.

Some Arsenal fans have grumbled over the signing, but Jorginho brings defensive qualities and experience of winning, which for Arsenal in recent years has been in short supply.

Joao Cancelo: Manchester City to Bayern Munich (loan with option to buy)

Bayern brought in goalkeeper Yann Sommer earlier in the window after Manuel Neuer suffered a season-ending broken leg. That was a deal that many saw coming, but the move for Cancelo came out of the sky blue, reportedly after a disagreement with Pep Guardiola saw City happy to offload the full-back.

It went through on Tuesday, opening up the possibility of Cancelo being a Premier League and Bundesliga winner in the same season.

He looks set to feature at right-back for Bayern, with Alphonso Davies featuring on the left. It means Bayern will have a pair of attacking full-backs that will put the fear up opponents.

With Bayern in a slump, drawing their past three Bundesliga games, it felt important for there to be a new face coming in. Cancelo, until very recently a favourite of Guardiola, is used to winning things with City so should fit in well at Sabener Strasse.

Pedro Porro: Sporting CP to Tottenham (loan with obligation to buy)

Three and a half years since he joined Manchester City, Porro should finally make his debut in English football after being recruited to fill the right-back role for Antonio Conte at Spurs.

This has the makings of a masterstroke signing, with Spain international Porro having caught Spurs' eye in the Champions League group stage earlier this season. He previously played for Real Valladolid while farmed out on loan from City, for whom he never played a competitive senior game.

He represents an upgrade on Matt Doherty, who was released to join Atletico Madrid, and may have the edge on Emerson Royal, with Conte bringing in a player with serious defensive and attacking qualities.

Among defenders with 10 or more appearances and at least 10 tackles, Porro's 78.95 per cent tackle success rate ranks as the sixth-best in the Portuguese Primeira Liga this season.

Meanwhile, only one defender, Benfica's Alejandro Grimaldo, has created more chances than Porro's 34 from 14 games, which have brought him six assists.

Porro ranks second among defenders in the Portuguese top flight for the most crosses played too, with 108 to Grimaldo's 116. Significantly, though, Porro has played 526 minutes fewer than Grimaldo, illustrating how effective the Spurs new boy has been when on the pitch.

Hector Bellerin has left Barcelona to sign for Primeira Liga side Sporting CP on a permanent deal.

The full-back started his career in Barca's youth ranks before Arsenal brought him to the Premier League in 2011, where he went on to become a first-team regular.

However, after falling out of favour under Mikel Arteta, the London side agreed to terminate his contract with one year left to run and Bellerin returned to Barca on a free transfer.

The 27-year-old has now left the Spanish giants for a second time, though, having made just seven appearances in all competitions since rejoining in September.

While Sporting's Primeira Liga title hopes look over, Bellerin will hope to help his side in the Europa League, with the club due to face Midtjylland in the knockout round in February.

Bellerin's arrival at the Portuguese side comes as fellow attack-minded right-back Pedro Porro departs the club for Tottenham.

Europe's elite clubs raced to beat the January transfer deadline as Pedro Porro signed for Tottenham and Enzo Fernandez neared a record Premier League move when the window slammed shut.

Argentina's World Cup winner Fernandez appeared set to complete a long-awaited move to Chelsea in a record-breaking Premier League transfer.

While Chelsea aimed to bring in the youthful Fernandez, veteran Italy international Jorginho departed as he joined Arsenal after Mikel Arteta's side were unable to secure Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.

Manchester United also looked to strengthen their midfield with a loan deal for Bayern Munich's Sabitzer after an injury to key playmaker Christian Eriksen at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Tottenham solidified their defensive options by snaffling Spanish wing-back Porro from Sporting CP after lengthy negotiations.

Stats Perform provides a rundown of the notable deals as the mid-season transfer window finally closed.

 

BOEHLY BREAKS RECORD FOR FERNANDEZ

Fernandez emerged as a target for Chelsea following his influential displays for Argentina during their World Cup triumph in Qatar and the Blues' Todd Boehly-led consortium appear to have finally got their man. 

After already snatching Mykhaylo Mudryk from under the noses of Arsenal, Chelsea are set to splash a reported £105.5million (€120m) on Fernandez from Benfica.

That would break the Premier League record of £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish, as the Blues looked to secure the former River Plate midfielder on a reported seven-and-a-half-year contract.

ARSENAL'S CAICEDO BLUES CURED BY JORGINHO

Arteta and Arsenal's pursuit of Caicedo fell on deaf ears as Brighton refused to budge, despite the Gunners lodging a reported £70m bid for the 21-year-old.

After missing out on primary midfield target Caicedo, Jorginho switched the blue shirt of Chelsea for the red of Arsenal as he completed a reported £12m transfer to the Premier League leaders.

The 31-year-old will provide able competition for the impressive Thomas Partey after penning an 18-month contract at Emirates Stadium.

TEN HAG FINDS ERIKSEN COVER IN SABITZER

With Eriksen ruled out for three months, Erik ten Hag and United acted swiftly to attempt to bring in experienced midfielder Sabitzer on a short-term loan.

Opportunities had been hard to come by for the Austria international after joining Bayern from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig ahead of the 2021-22 season.

He started just 15 times in his 40 appearances for the Bundesliga champions, though he may now have the chance to impress in the Premier League with Ten Hag's resurgent Red Devils.

CONTE GETS PORRO AS DOHERTY AND SPENCE DEPART

It appeared Tottenham may not secure the services of attack-minded wing-back Porro, formerly of Girona and Manchester City, after it seemed negotiations had come to a halt with Sporting.

But Spurs confirmed the 23-year-old's arrival late on, with Porro signing a five-and-a-half-year deal after a reported £40m (€45m) move from Sporting, who signed Barcelona's Hector Bellerin as a replacement.

That transfer saw Djed Spence, who only signed from Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to £20m in July, sent out to Ligue 1's Rennes for the rest of the season on loan.

Fellow full-back Matt Doherty also made way as he joined Atletico Madrid on a six-month contract, with Spurs terminating the 31-year-old's contract to "enable him to join another club".

OTHER DEALS

Bournemouth paid their second-highest transfer fee in history for Illya Zabarnyi, parting with a reported £24m (€27.2m) for the Ukraine centre-back from Dynamo Kyiv.

Gary O'Neil's Bournemouth added a second signing soon after, confirming the arrival of Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore on a loan that will become permanent on a five-year deal in June.

Nottingham Forest continued their spending after signing Atletico centre-back Felipe on a deal that will run until 2024, while Jonjo Shelvey also arrived from Newcastle United on a deal until 2025, and a move for Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas on loan was reportedly nearing.

Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace bolstered their midfield by bringing in Naouirou Ahamada for a reported £10.5m (€12m) fee from Stuttgart, while Arsenal's Albert Sambi Lokonga joined on a six-month loan.

Leeds United's Diego Llorente joined Jose Mourinho's Roma on loan until the end of the season, with an option for a permanent transfer reportedly worth €18m (£15.9m).

Ayoze Perez is another Premier League player who will spend the second half of the term on loan, with the Leicester City forward moving to LaLiga side Real Betis.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's Serbia team-mate Sasa Lukic traded Torino for Fulham in a transfer reportedly worth £8.8m (€10m) including add-ons, signing a contract until June 2027.

Lukic will likely be joined by Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares after Marco Silva's side reportedly agreed to bring the former Southampton defender on a six-month loan.

Outside of England, Borussia Dortmund and Belgium midfielder Thorgan Hazard completed a short-term loan move to Eredivisie title hopefuls PSV.

Tottenham have completed a deadline-day deal for attack-minded wing-back Pedro Porro from Sporting CP.

With Spurs fifth in the Premier League, three points behind Newcastle United and Manchester United having played one game more than their top-four rivals, Antonio Conte has been in the market for reinforcements this month.

Spurs beat Everton to the loan signing of Arnaut Danjuma last week, but Porro has consistently been touted as Conte's top target as the Italian coach seeks to revitalise their top-four bid.

Porro, a senior Spain international with three goals and 11 assists for Sporting this season, underwent his medical on Tuesday and put pen to paper shortly before the window closed.

He has joined on an initial loan until the end of the season, at which point Spurs are expected to pay up to £40million (€45.5m) to sign him permanently.

Porro's arrival came on the back of Tottenham allowing Djed Spence to join Ligue 1 side Rennes on loan until the end of the season, while fellow full-back Matt Doherty joined Atletico Madrid after his Spurs contract was terminated.

Porro only joined Sporting permanently last year after enjoying an impressive two-year loan spell at the club, where he won the Primeira Liga title once and the Taca da Liga twice.

However, his final game with the Lisbon club saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat against Porto in this season's Taca da Liga final on Saturday.

The 23-year-old previously spent time at Manchester City after impressing at Spanish outfit Girona, though he failed to make a competitive appearance for the Premier League champions.

Porro could face his former employers on his Tottenham debut on Sunday, with Conte's side looking to avenge the dramatic 4-2 defeat they suffered against City at the Etihad earlier this month.

He will compete with Emerson Royal at right wing-back following the departures of Spence and Doherty.

Tottenham have completed a £40million (€45m) deal to sign attack-minded wing-back Pedro Porro from Sporting CP on the final day of the transfer window, as Djed Spence completed a loan move to Ligue 1 side Rennes until the end of the season.

With Spurs fifth in the Premier League, three points behind Newcastle United and Manchester United having played one game more than their top-four rivals, Antonio Conte has been in the market for reinforcements this month.

Spurs beat Everton to the loan signing of Arnaut Danjuma last week, but Porro has consistently been touted as Conte's top target as the Italian coach seeks to revitalise their top-four bid.

Porro, a senior Spain international with three goals and 11 assists for Sporting this season, underwent his medical on Tuesday and put pen to paper shortly before the window closed.

He has joined on an initial loan until the end of the season, at which point Spurs are expected to pay up to £40million (€45.5m) to sign him permanently.

Porro only joined Sporting permanently last year after enjoying an impressive two-year loan spell at the club, where he won the Primeira Liga title once and the Taca da Liga twice.

However, his final game with the Lisbon club saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat against Porto in this season's Taca da Liga final on Saturday.

The 23-year-old previously spent time at Manchester City after impressing at Spanish outfit Girona, though he failed to make a competitive appearance for the Premier League champions.

Porro could face his former employers on his Tottenham debut on Sunday, with Conte's side looking to avenge the dramatic 4-2 defeat they suffered against City at the Etihad earlier this month.

He will compete with Emerson Royal at right wing-back, with Spence completing his temporary move to France and Matt Doherty leaving on a free transfer to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Tottenham are reportedly investigating a potential move for young Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie, despite the hefty asking price for the Ecuador international.

Hincapie, 21, is in his second Bundesliga season after arriving from Argentinian side Talleres, and has forced his way into Leverkusen's starting XI, earning 13 starts among his 15 total league appearances this campaign.

He also has 24 senior international caps for Ecuador under his belt, playing every minute of his country's three group stage fixtures at the Qatar World Cup.

Hincapie's emergence has not gone unnoticed, and Leverkusen are said to be informing interested clubs that any sale of their talented youngster will come at a heavy price.

 

TOP STORY – SPURS KICK THE TYRES ON PRIZED LEVERKUSEN DEFENDER

According to the Sun, Spurs boss Antonio Conte is desperate to add a new central defender before the end of the month, but the club were knocked back by a massive £80million price tag.

The report indicates Hincapie would be in favour of a move to the Premier League, and to Tottenham specifically, but that it would be far more likely to occur at the end of the season.

Interestingly, the Sun believes Leverkusen would be open to accepting as little as £20m if it meant Hincapie could spend the rest of the season on loan with the German side, but with his contract tying him to Leverkusen until 2026, it is hard to believe they would budge so significantly from their lofty valuation.

It also mentions Tottenham's pursuit of Sporting right-back Pedro Porro is on the verge of falling through, but Portuguese publication Record is reporting that a verbal agreement is in place for a £42m (€48m) deal.

 

ROUND-UP

– GiveMeSport are reporting Chelsea will make a run at 23-year-old Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic at the end of the season, while Calciomercato adds Juventus are anticipating the Serbian's departure and will seek to replace him with 25-year-old Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman.

– According to Sport, Barcelona are focusing on 25-year-old Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves as their long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets after failing to land Real Sociedad talent Martin Zubimendi.

Manchester United believe they are priced out of the Harry Kane sweepstakes, per the Daily Star.

– Mail on Sunday are reporting Arsenal have returned with a second offer for 21-year-old Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, but their £70m bid is still below the £80m demand.

– The Telegraph adds that the outcome of Arsenal's push for Caicedo will not affect their desire to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice after the season, and they will try to secure both.

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