Coutinho, Aubameyang and the 20 most expensive transfers of January

A Munich native and former Allianz Arena academy graduate is back where it all began at the age of 30, with the towering frontman having offered enough at Bundesliga rivals to convince the reigning champions of his worth.

A rollercoaster ride in England saw the Frenchman go from bit-part squad player to the answer to a holding midfield conundrum and back again, with a move to Spain secured after starting to slip down the pecking order once more.

The Seagulls always knew that stepping up to the Premier League would require them to roll the dice in the transfer market, and a new club record fee has been shelled out to land a promising forward who must hit the ground running.

The Potters can rarely be accused of lacking battling qualities, but Paul Lambert has moved to further enhance those qualities by acquiring a Senegal international midfielder who could be among those gracing a World Cup stage this summer.

A Toffees academy graduate and home-town boy but a player who appeared to have grown stale amid inconsistent showings and fitness issues on Merseyside, with Stamford Bridge now the stage on which he must try and fulfil his undoubted potential.

Antonio Conte had been hoping to complete a double raid on the Italian capital for a full-back and proven frontman, but Edin Dzeko remains at Stadio Olimpico after failing to see a deal reached to follow a Brazilian colleague to west London.

The talented youngster is now the proud owner of several entries in the football history books, with the first player born in the 21st century to play and score in Serie A now the most expensive 16-year-old of all-time.

Nobody appears to have told the Ghana international that you should never go back, with a club record transfer fee having returned him to the Liberty Stadium for a second spell after 18 mediocre months in east London.

Already struggling for game time under Arsene Wenger, the arrival of Aubameyang at Emirates Stadium set in motion a trio of deals which saw a France international head for Stamford Bridge and Michy Batshuayi loaned to Borussia Dortmund.

Big-money sales over the past two windows have helped to swell the coffers at Signal Iduna Park, with some of that funding reinvested in a promising Swiss defender who tasted domestic success and Champions League competition in his homeland.

A Ligue 1 title winner alongside Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao at Monaco, the Saints are hoping that some of that magic dust rubbed off on the Argentine frontman after agreeing to make him the club’s record signing.

The boy wonder never really became a man during a 12-year stint in north London, but he is still just 28 years of age – which should put him at his peak – and taking on more of a leading role on Merseyside could bring the best out of him.

Having been linked with several Premier League sides, the Brazil international winger is now set to call Wembley Stadium home and will be hoping to complement the likes of Dele Alli in providing further ammunition for Harry Kane.

Sam Allardyce quickly identified the need to bring a goalscorer onto his books upon inheriting the managerial reins at Goodison Park and has taken a punt on a man who proved to be a prolific marksman in the Turkish top-flight.

The Spain international was among those targeted by Manchester City as they sought to bolster their defensive ranks, but ended up filling the boots of Etihad-bound Aymeric Laporte as he crossed the Basque Country divide.  

The France-born Congo international may not be a household name, but he is now one of the most expensive players on the planet having welcomed the opportunity to take his goal-scoring prowess to the money-spinning surrounds of the Chinese Super League.

Six months on from breaking their transfer record to land one proven striker in the form of Alexandre Lacazette, and with Alexis Sanchez having departed, the Gunners have raised the bar a little further by bringing in a prolific Gabon international.

Sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table and still in contention to land an historic quadruple this season, a centre-half option for the present and future is about all Pep Guardiola really needed during the winter window.

With Jurgen Klopp and the Anfield faithful having spent much of the first half of the season cursing defensive frailties, a long-standing target was finally acquired as the Reds beat a familiar transfer path to Premier League rivals on the South Coast.

Having fended off interest from Camp Nou during the summer of 2017, the Reds finally buckled under renewed pressure and sanctioned the sale of a man hoping to become the latest Brazilian superstar in Catalunya.