January transfer window: Cut price signings Premier League clubs should make

In a transfer market where holding midfielders are now going for over £100m, it can be quite difficult to find a bargain.

The days when you could get a Andrea Pirlo for free, a Nemanja Vidic for £7m, or an Andy Robertson for £8m are seemingly long gone, but with a little due diligence clubs can still find the odd shrewd transfer move.

And luckily for Premier League clubs, we've done that due diligence for them.

Here's seven cut price signings that Premier League should consider during the January transfer window.

1. Paulo Dybala

Suitable clubs: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea
Potential fee: £10.3m

A release clause inserted into Paulo Dybala's contract means that your club could acquire one of the best left feet in the game for just £10.3m.

The issue?

Said left foot is attached to a player who is egregiously injury prone - missing 28 games in the last 18 months due to eight separate ailments.

When sporadically fit though, Dybala is a game winner at any level and he's proven that with his 29 Serie A goal contributions at AS Roma despite all of the aforementioned injury concerns.

The Argentine would be a clever signing for any Premier League team that's struggling to score goals at the moment.

2. David de Gea

Suitable clubs: Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest
Potential fee: £0

It's January 2024, and David de Gea is still a free agent.

And while he wasn't particularly brilliant in his final season at Man Utd, the fact that a goalkeeper of De Gea has been without a club for last six months is utterly baffling.

There are certainly a few clubs in the Premier League who could be doing with an upgrade between the posts this winter, the most notable one being Newcastle who have thoroughly struggled without their stricken number one Nick Pope in recent weeks.

3. Serhou Guirassy

Suitable clubs: Manchester United, West Ham United, Fulham, Wolves
Potential fee: £15.2m

Prior to 2023/24, Serhou Guirassy had never scored more than 11 league goals in a single campaign.

This season, he's scored 17 in 14 games for VfB Stuttgart.

Guirassy's remarkable form in front of goal has taken everyone by surprise, including Stuttgart. The club are probably regretting putting a minuscule £15.2m release clause in his contract, with the likes of Man Utd keeping an eye on the forward this January.

4. Kalvin Phillips

Suitable club: Newcastle United
Potential fee: £5m loan fee

Gareth Southgate's favourite footballer has been perennially out-of-favour since he joined Manchester City in 2022, making just 16 league appearances for the club.

Due to that lack of game time, Phillips looks set to go out on loan this January and while Juventus have been linked, the midfielder's perfect landing spot is St. James' Park.

The reported £5m loan fee that City are after is pretty reasonable for a holding midfielder in today's market too; especially when rather average ones like Moises Caicedo are going for upwards of £100m.

5. Jean-Clair Todibo

Suitable clubs: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Potential fee: £35m

The main man in a defence which has conceded nine goals and kept a whopping 12 clean sheets so far this season is reportedly available for £35m this January.

We're not talking about 40-year-old Dante by the way, we're talking about 24-year-old France international Jean-Clair Todibo.

Todibo is the must-sign centre-back of the January transfer window, particularly for Man Utd as a long-term replacement for Raphael Varane.

6. Jeremie Frimpong

Suitable clubs: Liverpool, Arsenal
Potential fee: £34m

Another German club perhaps ruing the inclusion of a reasonable release clause in a contract is Bayer Leverkusen.

Due to a clause inserted in Jeremie Frimpong's deal, linked clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal could sign a right-back who has bagged five goals and six assists already this season for just £34m.

If Liverpool are looking for a right-back could enough to justify finally moving Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield, Frimpong could be their man.

7. Jota

Suitable clubs: Newcastle United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur
Potential fee: Loan

Signed for £25m by Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad after an eye-catching spell at Celtic, and then not registered to play domestic football by the club - make it make sense.

With Jota being restricted to the odd AFC Champions League game here and there, the Portuguese wide player is notably keen to leave the middle east this January and Al Ittihad are willing to let him head out on loan.

Due to Lucas Paqueta's injury - which will see him miss around two months of action - Jota could be a shrewd stop-gap signing for West Ham.

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