Deadline day is a week away, and Marcus Rashford is still at Manchester United, and not even kicking his heels on the subs’ bench – with Ruben Amorim claiming that he would rather put his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach, Jorge Vital, in the matchday squad than Rashford at his current level of application. Which makes us wonder – could Vital really be as ineffectual up front as Rasmus Højlund or Joshua Zirkzee? Perhaps he’s worth a shot. As for Rashford, his latest possible destination is Barcelona, and he is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to get a move done. Given that Barça have struggled to register players they already own, it looks unlikely – but Andreas Christensen or Ansu Fati, who is on José Mourinho’s radar at Fenerbahce, could be moved on to free up a squad place.

Related: Men’s transfer window January 2025: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues

With Chelsea still very much interested in Alejandro Garnacho, ESPN report that United “have asked to be kept informed of developments regarding Christopher Nkunku’s future”, which is an odd turn of phrase. Sky Sports think the future is now, and Nkunku could join on loan this very week. United are also keen on Wolves striker Matheus Cunha, but then again, so are Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, former £86m signing Antony has left Old Trafford and joined Real Betis on loan, as this David Lynch-inspired video clip confirms.

United are also hunting for a new left-back, but Lecce claim they are “trying to resist” interest in Patrick Dorgu, holding out for €40m (£33.8m) after rejecting an initial £25m bid. Quite how much longer the Italian club, who bought Dorgu for €200,000 and whose record sale is €1.5m for Liam Henderson, will hold out remains to be seen. Other options for United include Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell, Wolves wing-back Rayan Aït-Nouri, PSG’s Nuno Mendes and Bournemouth flyer Milos Kerkez – but any move before summer will be tricky. Maybe give Vital, who is surely at least a decent dead-ball striker, a run at left-back? It’s worth a try, is all we’re saying.

Moving on, and Arsenal may not get any business done this week, but the summer could be more fruitful. RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is thought to favour a move to the Gunners over Chelsea or Manchester United – and who can blame him? – while England midfielder Angel Gomes, out of contract at Lille this summer, could be a canny addition to Mikel Arteta’s engine room. Arsenal have also had eyes on Alexander Isak, but Newcastle are planning to offer their Swedish hotshot a new long-term contract to keep him at the club. One talented Scandinavian who could be on the move is Rosenborg’s Sverre Nypan. The 18-year-old midfielder has reportedly held talks with Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa this week.

Staying with Villa, and Unai Emery is hoping to keep hold of Jhon Dúran this week amid interest from Real Madrid, PSG and Al-Nassr. The Mill fears that the combustible Colombian might struggle for game time at the Bernabéu, but then again, it’s not really our problem. Villa also need a new centre-back but have failed in their efforts to sign Sevilla’s Loïc Badé – so could instead move for Chelsea’s Axel Disasi or former Spurs man Juan Foyth, who played for Emery at Villarreal. Villa have also agreed a contract extension with Emi Buendía, and may loan him out to Bayer Leverkusen.

Brentford are a club often overlooked by the gossip pages, but not today: the Mill can report that defender Mads Roerslev is heading to Wolfsburg on loan, but the Bees have turned down Strasbourg’s loan approach for Fábio Carvalho. Elsewhere, Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury is heading to Sheffield United; Everton and West Ham want to sign Ajax forward Brian Brobbey on loan; and former Hammer Saïd Benrahma will choose between a move to Ipswich or Saudi side Neom SC, a team named after the Gulf state’s desert megacity project. Decisions, decisions.