Arsenal have blocked Kieran Tierney from returning to Celtic, according to the Telegraph, with the left-back set to complete the season at the Gunners before rejoining his boyhood club.

Tierney will return to Celtic in the summer but there were talks about bringing that forward, with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori first choice at left-back.

But the Telegraph report that Mikel Arteta will not allow Tierney to leave his squad without a replacement, given Arsenal’s position in the title race and Champions League.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery says Ollie Watkins is “happy to stay” at the club after Arsenal saw an opening bid rejected this week.

“He is happy to stay,” Emery said. “We asked him how he is feeling every day and year he is being here with Villa and he is happy here.

“The commitment of Ollie Watkins with us is a huge commitment. He appreciates a lot how Villa was always supporting him and helping him, when we joined here two years ago how we were working with him and getting the best of him.

“Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa in the last years. I am speaking with him a lot, he is always adapting with every circumstances we have and of course when some teams calling us being interested in the players it’s very good for us and the players.

“Some players prefer to leave and some accept to stay here and commit with our challenges. One of them is Ollie Watkins.”

Chelsea are interested in Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, although any move is likelier in the summer.

There may also be competition at that point from Manchester United, who have a long-standing interest in the Swiss international.

Chelsea have started to consider their goalkeeping situation after some high-profile errors from current No. 1 Robert Sanchez.

Despite Enzo Maresca publicly backing the Spanish shot-stopper, the Blues have identified Kobel as a candidate who fits a lot of the criteria they prefer in a goalkeeper.

Dortmund are nevertheless resistant to even considering anything for the 27-year-old right now, especially in the midst of a run to the Champions League play-off round, with Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk securing 10th place in the table.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on the club’s bid for Ollie Watkins and their aim to bring in a striker before the end of the January transfer window.

“I’m not going to talk about any individuals,” Arteta said. “We are actively looking to find a solution in that position and we will see what the market brings.

“I’m very confident with the work the club is doing, exploring every single opportunity that can have an impact on the team. If we can agree something we will. If we can’t, we won’t.

“We are trying everything that we can, but I don’t want to give any reassurance or not. It doesn’t depend only on us. Our intentions are clear but the possibilities are affected by three parties.

We look at what we have in the squad, what we are lacking, what can make an impact and make us much better, regardless of age or background. It’s just a belief that player can be really good for us over time.”

If the Arsenal and Manchester City squads are readying themselves for “war” on Sunday, the mood isn’t that different off the pitch. There are few polite niceties there. This is probably the club relationship with the deepest animosity in the Premier League, and even worse than some notorious rivalries from the past.

September’s 2-2 draw had more fallout than any other match this season so far, and that’s despite this campaign’s many refereeing controversies. One official at a rival club even marvelled at how the fallout had gone into “day six”. That 2-2 had opprobrium about referees and much more, including a farrago over footage of Arsenal executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis leaving his seat without shaking hands with City counterparts. There was some irritation about that in north London, especially since they feel City’s senior figures don’t always welcome them.

The champions, meanwhile, see Arsenal as one of the clubs most actively in opposition to their ownership. Crucially, some of this has filtered down to the dressing rooms.

Wolves are not expected to sell star player Matheus Cunha during the January transfer window, despite reported interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

The 25-year-old has been a standout performer for Wolves in a miserable season, scoring 10 goals and assisting four more in 21 Premier League appearances.

That has seen him attract interest from a number of Premier League clubs during the current transfer window, with Nottingham Forest and Arsenal said to be considering bids.

The January transfer window opened on Wednesday 1 January, 2025 for English clubs and will run for just over a month with Deadline Day being Monday 3 February, 2025.

The window officially closes at 11pm GMT for English clubs.

Throughout Europe the timings for the January transfer window are similar but different to the English clubs. Most major European leagues also close on February 3 with Germany, Scotland and Spain all having the same time slot as England though France’s window closes at 1pm GMT.

Italian clubs, meanwhile, only have until 7pm on Saturday 1 February 1 to do their business and the transfer window in Turkey closes a full week later on Tuesday 11 February, 2025.

Another window to be aware of due to its potentially high spending is the Saudi Arabian one which has until January 30 to get deals over the line.

The January transfer window is also open for the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship. It lasts the full length of January and closes at 11pm on Thursday 30 January, 2025.

League leaders Liverpool are in action this afternoon at Bournemouth, and you can follow it right here:

A report earlier by David Ornstein in The Athletic suggesting Mathys Tel was staying at Bayern Munich after telling the club he wanted to fight for his place until the summer and then reassess his options.

But Sky Sports are now reporting that Man Utd could still come in for a loan deal at the 11th hour…