Dele Alli, Xavi Simons, Oscar and 21 under-the-radar January transfers you might have missed

Are we one step closer to finally seeing Dele Alli back in action?! The injury-plagued midfielder has a new club having endured an absolute nightmare with his fitness, joining Cesc Fabregas' ambitious project at Como. His last competitive appearance was in 2023 for Besiktas.

The Serie A side has taken a big gamble by offering Dele a contract after the ex-Tottenham man spent a period training with them, having ended his time at Everton where he was working towards a return. He's still not ready to play, but it would be brilliant to simply see him back on the pitch soon.

A transfer mired in controversy, to the extent that it was announced very much on the quiet. Manchester City landed centre-back Juma Bah from Real Valladolid amid accusations of 'tapping up' from the Spanish side.

The 18-year-old allegedly forced his way out of the club under City's influence, failing to turn up to training and even paying his own €6 million release clause. Ultimately he got his move and has been immediately loaned to Lens in Ligue 1 to help fill the gap left by another City signing, Abdukodir Khusanov.

Former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi is back in the Bundesliga after bringing his time in Turkey to an end by signing a last-minute €3.5m deal with Eintracht Frankfurt, who were looking to replace Omar Marmoush following his switch to Man City.

The 31-year-old only joined Galatasaray in the summer after a prolific 2023-24 campaign with Fenerbahce, but the move across the fierce Istanbul divide hadn't really worked out.

Bayern Munich have continued their habit of snaffling up the best young German talent around, landing prodigious Hoffenheim midfielder Tom Bischof without spending a single penny.

However, the versatile 19-year-old won't actually join up with his new club until the summer, having put pen to paper on a pre-contract with Die Roten.

A transfer that seems to suit all parties on paper, out-of-favour Aston Villa midfielder Emi Buendia has joined Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen for the remainder of the season.

Having missed the entirety of last season following an ACL tear, the Argentine will be hoping to get back on track in Germany. He was named Man of the Match on his debut, so that's a good start.

Any young central midfielder would probably love to play under a master of their trade like Fabregas, and that proved to be too much of a draw for Lyon academy product Maxence Caqueret.

The highly-rated Frenchman has moved to Serie A to become part of the ambitious project at Como on the shores of the famous lake, with the Italian side shelling out €16.5m (£14m/$17m) for the 24-year-old's services.

Another Bundesliga switch that will hopefully benefit all involved. Carney Chukwuemeka needs minutes under his belt after an injury-hit two-and-a-half seasons at Chelsea, and he will hope to get them on loan at Borussia Dortmund until the summer.

Although he has returned to fitness in 2024-25, the midfielder has been almost completely overlooked by Enzo Maresca having seen a summer switch fail to materialise. He will hope to have the same success as Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho at Signal Iduna Park, with an option for the deal to be made permanent.

With club captain Danilo returning to his native Brazil, Juventus have moved to rejuvenate their defence by signing rangy, young Portuguese defender Alberto Costa.

The 21-year-old right-back only became a fully-fledged member of Vitoria Guimaraes' senior squad in the summer, but the Bianconeri have already seen fit to shell out €15m (£12.5m/$15.5m) to land him.

Crystal Palace have a habit of unearthing gems in the English Football League, and they will hope 19-year-old Romain Esse can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.

The winger has made the step up to the Premier League after Palace splashed £14.5m ($18m), moving across south London from Championship side Millwall. He got off to a flyer at Selhurst Park, scoring with pretty much his first touch on debut.

Cristiano Ronaldo lost a significant team-mate in January as one of Al-Nassr's original big signings returned to Europe. Ivorian midfielder Seko Fofana completed a move back to France, signing with Rennes.

The 29-year-old technician never really caught fire in the yellow shirt, spending the past year on loan at Steven Gerrard's now-former club Al-Ettifaq.

One of the most costly deals of the January transfer window, and you'd be forgiven for not even knowing it had happened. Midway through another productive season with in Portugal, Porto favourite Galeno has swapped the Dragao for the riches of the Middle East.

The Brazilian winger has joined the likes of Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney and Riyad Mahrez in Al-Ahli's stacked attacked, with the Saudi club paying a cool €50.5m (£42m/$52m) to secure the 27-year-old's services.

Another deal you probably weren't aware of saw highly-rated Botafogo winger Luiz Henrique follow the unlikely-yet-well-trodden path from Brazil to Russia as he signed for Zenit St. Petersburg for a reported $33m (£26.5m).

The Brazil international - who only ended a failed spell with Real Betis a year ago - was named South America's best player in 2024, helping his club to glory in both the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Serie A.

One of the most random transfers of the January window arrived on deadline day, as Lloyd Kelly left Newcastle for Italian giants Juventus on loan with an obligation to buy for a rather steep £20m ($25m).

The defender only joined the Magpies from Bournemouth in the summer in a free transfer and had failed to nail down a place in Eddie Howe's preferred XI. This one looks a little desperate from the Bianconeri.

It was a busy month for Aston Villa both in terms of incomings and outgoings, with the blockbuster sale of Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr and sensational loan arrival of Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford inevitably stealing the headlines.

Villa's most costly signing, though, was actually Borussia Dortmund winger Donyell Malen, who was snapped up midway through the window for €26m (£21.5m/$27m) having failed to truly catch fire in his time in Germany.

An intriguing transfer from Argentina, where Estudiantes triggered highly-regarded midfielder Cristian Medina's $15m (£12m) Boca Juniors release clause. That's not the end of the story, though.

Boca have reported their rivals to the Argentine federation in the belief that the money came from a third party involved in an investment group, with the plan purportedly to sell the 22-year-old to a European club as soon as the summer. Medina has made his debut, but it's claimed his future is in the balance.

Neymar was not the only Brazilian to make an emotional return to their boyhood club in January; after eight long years playing in Shanghai in China, Oscar is back in his homeland.

The veteran midfielder has re-joined Sao Paulo almost 15 years since he first departed and has settled in quickly in familiar surroundings, scoring and picking up an assist against Corinthians.

We told you Villa were busy... One piece of business saw them cash in on young winger Jaden Philogene, who only returned to the club in the summer after impressing at Hull City.

After struggling to break into Unai Emery's plans, the 22-year-old has been sold off to Premier League rivals Ipswich for a small profit - perhaps a deal to help their PSR situation.

France international goalkeeper Brice Samba was on the move within Ligue 1 in January, strangely swapping Champions League-chasing Lens - where he was club captain - for struggling Rennes.

He is considered a statement signing and the plan is to move clear of the relegation zone in the second half of the season and close the gap to his former club.

One of the most costly transfers of the window was already some way to being complete, as RB Leipzig made their long-term loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain's Xavi Simons permanent.

The German club have shelled out €80m (£66.5m/$83m) to make it happen, finally tying down an attacking midfielder who had been on loan with them for 18 months already.

Brighton's scouting department might just have done it again, continuing their knack of picking up some of the finest young talent around from under the noses of their more established rivals.

Striker Stefanos Tzimas had been tearing it up in the 2.Bundesliga with Nurnberg in 2024-25, on loan from PAOK. The Greek side have now sold him to the German club, and the Seagulls immediately landed him on a pre-contract for €25m (£21m/$26m) ahead of a summer move.

Batshuayi wasn't the only new striking arrival at Eintracht, as the club looks to mitigate for Marmoush's sale to Man City. Elye Wahi is the other big signing, with the Frenchman leaving Marseille after just half a season.

The 22-year-old struggled to fulfil his potential at Stade Velodrome, but the Bundesliga club will want a decent return on their €26m (£22m/$27m) investment, and he has big boots to fill.