5 midfielders who could potentially be on the move in the January transfer window

With the January window approaching, rumors are circulating more than they do at any other point during the season. There is no doubt that numerous players will be on the move as is often the case each winter, but there is always food for thought as to who those transferred players will be.

Be it to continue a title charge, push for continental football or to reinforce ahead of a relegation battle, the January window offers teams a chance to refresh their squad at a crucial point of the campaign. While it is often harder to pull off any big deals in the winter window compared to the summer one, it is not as though those transfers never happen.

With all of this being considered, it is worth asking the question; which five defenders could be available in the coming January transfer window?

5. Ousmane Diomande

After spending a season with FC Midtjylland in Denmark, Ousmane Diomande was snapped up by Sporting Lisbon in 2023, where he has since established himself as a crucial first-team player. Under the system of former manager Ruben Amorim, who is now in charge of Manchester United, Diomande rose to a position of being considered one of the continent’s best, young defenders.

Comfortable with the ball at his feet, Diomande uses a combination of technical ability, defensive knowledge and physicality to stand out, both among his teammates and in comparison to others of the same position. In his first season with the club, Diomande played a crucial role in helping the team win the league title.

With the January window fast approaching, it would be no surprise if many teams consider a move for the Ivorian defender. How easy a transfer would be to complete is another question, given that Sporting could understandably charge a high fee for the player, maybe even higher for a transfer in the middle of a season.

Such is the way of modern football, though, that there will be teams with enough money to convince Sporting to agree to a transfer. It’s just whether or not those sides decide they need the defender next month.

4. Virgil van Dijk

It is funny to consider that, when Liverpool paid £75 million to Southampton for Virgil van Dijk, many questions were raised about the price. In the six years since, the Dutch defender has gone onto establish himself as one of the best in the world, with van Dijk’s level having hardly dropped in that time despite suffering a long-term, ACL injury in 2020.

The Netherlands international played a crucial role in helping Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool restore themselves to a position of contention, having won a Premier League, Champions League and at least one FA Cup and EFL Cup under the German’s guidance. In the early days of Arne Slot’s reign, van Dijk has remained just as important.

Much has been said of van Dijk’s contract situation, with his current deal due to expire at the end of this campaign. It is unthinkable to imagine that Liverpool are not progressing with a renewal behind the scenes but as nothing, at least at the time of writing, has been made official as of yet, rumors have circulated.

Despite now being in his 30s, van Dijk is still one of the world’s best in his position and would offer any team an elite-level defender. One would assume that the defender will renew his contract at Anfield, but maybe, just maybe, another team can sway him in the upcoming window.

3. Milos Kerkez

After establishing himself in senior football with AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, it was Bournemouth that made the move to sign Milos Kerkez in 2023. Since then, under the management of Andoni Iraola, Kerkez has emerged as one of the division’s best prospects, with his bombing runs forward and stellar defensive work being of great importance to the Cherries.

Kerkez is still just 21 years old, which only makes his ability even more impressive. The Hungarian international has seen his name linked to a number of clubs for some time, since even just his first few months on the English south coast.

One such club is Manchester United, with reports suggesting that Ruben Amorim has identified Kerkez as a player who would perfectly fit the wing-back style that he desires in his three-at-the-back system.

Bournemouth, who are looking to push up the table with a squad that has been put together well, would no doubt be reluctant to lose such an important player in the middle of the season. Perhaps it is more likely that Kerkez departs in the summer, but if enough money is offered to the Cherries, then who knows?

2. Trent Alexander-Arnold

The second of two Liverpool defenders to feature in this article, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a fixture in the Reds’ first team for almost a decade, an astounding fact anyway, let alone when you consider that the right-back is still just in his mid-20s. A forward-thinking full-back with an exceptional level of technique, he is rightly considered one of the best in the world in his position.

Part of the Klopp team that, alongside van Dijk, restored Liverpool to a position of winning major honors, Alexander-Arnold is another player that has been surrounded by talks of his contract which is due to expire in the coming summer.

Liverpool, of course, would want their starting right-back and local lad, no less, to renew his contract at Anfield, but it is not as though they are the only club that hold interest in his services. Reports have widely suggested that Real Madrid have identified Alexander-Arnold as their priority target.

It makes sense for Madrid, given that current right-back options Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vasquez are both aging and the former is rehabilitating a long-term injury. Were Alexander-Arnold to move, he would link up with England teammate Jude Bellingham who he seems to share a close relationship with.

It remains to be seen whether Alexander-Arnold can be swayed into moving away from his boyhood club, but it certainly makes for an interesting saga.

1. Jakub Kiwior

Since joining Arsenal from Spezia in 2023, Mikel Arteta has shaped Jakub Kiwior into a utility defender, a player able to provide cover in both the middle of the backline and at left-back. Still just 24, Kiwior has displayed promising signs in the games he has played for the Gunners thus far.

This season, however, the Polish international has featured in just 10 games. He has started only twice, both times in the EFL Cup. Elsewhere, he has made two substitute appearances in the Champions League and six in the Premier League, though a couple of games in the latter competition saw Kiwior feature for just a minute or two.

This, despite the injuries that have plagued Arsenal throughout the early season, may be an indication that Kiwior could be on the move come January. It may just be a loan, as Kiwior is clearly a player that Mikel Arteta rates. He could easily remain in the Premier League, it is just a question of where.