One week until transfer deadline day - who could be on the move?

 It's that time of the year again when transfer rumours abound with Premier League clubs looking to strengthen their squads for the remainder of the season.

atOptions = { 'key' : '7c8cb6054495ceb97fc135356c44a92b', 'format' : 'iframe', 'height' : 60, 'width' : 468, 'params' : {} }; style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While some sides will be trying to bolster the depth of talent as they push for European football, others are looking for the players that can help them stay in the English top flight.

The winter transfer window opened on 1 January and closes on 2 February at 19:00 GMT.

With one week to go before it shuts, BBC Sport looks at some of the players that have been linked with moves to and from Premier League clubs.

Jean-Philippe Mateta

 

Current club: Crystal Palace

Possible destinations: Juventus, Aston Villa, AC Milan, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest

With Jean-Philippe Mateta having already told Crystal Palace that he wants to leave and the club listening to offers for the France forward, this feels like a move waiting to happen.

The 28-year-old only has 18 months left on his present deal despite signing a contract extension with the Eagles just over 12 months ago.

Italian giants Juventus and Premier League Aston Villa are believed to be leading the chase for Mateta, who Palace value at around £40m.

Whether they would be wise to sanction the departure of their leading goalscorer this month is another matter altogether.

Palace fans have seen their team collect just two Premier League points since 7 December, suffer the greatest shock defeat in FA Cup history, in terms of league placings, and watch captain Marc Guehi complete a switch to Manchester City.

On top of that, manager Oliver Glasner has already announced he will be off this summer and subsequently launched an attack on the club's hierarchy.

Palace should have enough points on the board to avoid being drawn into a relegation battle. But if their current form were to persist much longer, they could endure a difficult ending to a season currently being propped up by the Europa Conference League.

Jorgen Strand Larsen

Current club: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Possible destinations: Leeds, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace

Having rebuffed several advances from Newcastle last summer, Wolves now look ready to allow Jorgen Strand Larsen to leave the club.

Despite having 15 top-flight games left, bottom club Wolves already look destined to be playing in the Championship next season, as they are effectively 18 points from safety.

So with Leeds, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace all circling for the Norway forward's services, it would be no surprise if Molineux was not his home for very much longer.

The 25-year-old has averaged a goal every 3.5 games during his club career.

Tammy Abraham

Image source,Getty Images

Image caption,

Tammy Abraham has won 11 caps for England

Current club: Besiktas

Possible destination: Aston Villa

On Monday, Besiktas paid £11.2m to Roma for Tammy Abraham - as the Turkish club prepare to sell him to Aston Villa.

The England striker had a medical on Saturday, having travelled to the UK on Friday after Villa agreed an £18m deal with the Super Lig side.

Besiktas had an obligation to buy in the loan deal which took Abraham from Roma last summer and did not want to sell him, but are reluctantly allowing Abraham to return to England.

The former Chelsea forward is still only 28 and enjoyed a prolific loan spell at Villa Park during 2018-19, when the Midlands club returned to the Premier

China says Canada deal does not target the US after Trump tariff threat 3 hours ago

 

Chinese officials said a recent trade agreement with Canada is not meant to undercut other countries, after Donald Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canadian products if Canada finalises the "deal" with Beijing.

"It does not target any third party," China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday of the new "strategic partnership" between Canada and China.

Trump threatened the tariffs in a Truth Social post over the weekend, and warned in subsequent posts that China is "successfully and completely taking over" Canada.

In response, Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that Canada is not pursuing a free-trade deal with China and has "never" considered it.

He added that Canadian officials have made their position clear to their American counterparts.

• Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariffs if it 'makes a deal with China'
• From surge in patriotism to fewer US trips - Trump's impact on Canada

Asked to respond to Trump's comments at a news conference on Monday, the Canadian prime minister noted that Canada is obligated to notify the US if it plans to sign a free-trade deal with a "non-market economy" as part of the USMCA, the long-standing free trade pact it has signed with the US and Mexico.

"We would have given notice, and then there is a very open and transparent process," Carney said.

The deal agreed upon between Ottawa and Beijing would lower levies on Canadian canola oil from 85% to 15% by March, while Canada will tax a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles, or EVs, at the most-favoured-nation rate, 6.1% – down from 100%.

Jiakun said at a routine news conference on Monday that China views the deal as one that "serves the common interests of the people of both countries".

"China believes countries need to approach state-to-state relations in the spirit of win-win rather than the mentality of zero-sum," he said.

Trump's tariff threat surprised some in Canada, as it appeared to be a reversal from his previously stated position that a Canada-China deal is "a good thing".

But tensions between the US and Canada have grown in recent days, after Carney said in his Davos speech last week that the US-led world order has ruptured.

Carney also urged other "middle powers" to band together in the face of economic coercion by "greater powers", though he did not mention Trump by name.

Trump responded to the remarks in his own speech the next day, saying: "Canada lives because of the United States." He also withdrew Carney's invitation to join his new Board of Peace.

In a series of social media posts over the weekend, Trump threatened steep tariffs "if Canada makes a deal with China", and said that "Canada is systematically destroying itself".

He also warned against Canada becoming a "drop off port" for China to send its goods to the US.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later clarified Trump's position, telling ABC News on Sunday that the threat applies "if we see that the Canadians are allowing the Chinese to dump goods".

Carney told reporters on Monday that he believed the threat is part of a broader negotiation tactic by Trump ahead of a mandatory USMCA review, which is scheduled for later this year.

"The president is a strong negotiator, and I think some of these comments and positioning should be viewed in the broader context of that," he said.

Carney also underscored his position that Canada needs to diversify its trade portfolio to make itself "less dependent on the United States.

Lawyers seek to halt deportation of seized tanker's captain to US

 

Lawyers are asking a Scottish court to halt the deportation of the captain of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera after it was seized by the US in the North Atlantic.

The captain's wife has raised an action at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, seeking an immediate halt to the removal of the captain and the ship from the UK to America.

Lawyers are arguing that the detention of Avtandil Kalandadze is unlawful under the European Convention of Human Rights and say the US government should seek his removal from Scotland through the normal extradition process.

The Venezuelan tanker was boarded by US agents south of Iceland on 7 January and has since been moored in the Moray Firth.

BBC Scotland News understands the Marinera will be taken to the United States.

The US has accused the Marinera of breaking its sanctions by carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran.

The UK government backed the operation to seize the tanker, saying it was lawful action against a vessel involved in breaking sanctions.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) provided operational support and US planes used UK airfields, including some in Scotland.

But Moscow denounced the seizure, demanding that the US treat Russians aboard properly and allow them to return to Russia quickly.

The Russian transport ministry said it had given the vessel "temporary permission" to use the Russian flag, adding that no state had the right to use force against vessels properly registered in other states' jurisdictions.

Lawyer Aamer Anwar said Kalandadze's wife was concerned for her husband's safety and security on the ship, which was formerly known as Bella 1.

Rubio Juggles Dual Roles Amid Venezuela’s Uncertain Future

 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Balances Dual Roles Amid Venezuela Developments

In a rare confluence of duties, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to address Congress about Venezuela’s future, marking his first public appearance since the unexpected capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. This event has intensified discussions about Rubio’s influence, as he concurrently holds the position of national security adviser, a dual role last seen with Henry Kissinger in the 1970s.

The White House asserts that the traditional National Security Council (NSC) framework was inefficient for current administrative needs. “This is a top-down, not a bottom-up process,” a White House official stated, emphasizing the president’s authority in foreign policy decisions.

John Bolton, a previous national security adviser, questioned the feasibility of managing both roles. “I’m not sure anybody, including Henry Kissinger, really has the bandwidth to do it,” Bolton noted. Yet, President Trump entrusted Rubio with the expansive national security portfolio after replacing Michael Waltz last year.

Critics, including Bolton, argue that reducing the NSC’s size complicates the coordination among governmental bodies like the State, Defense, and Treasury departments. Bolton stated, “There’s no guarantee that following the process will result in a successful policy,” but it increases the likelihood of success.

Beyond Venezuela, Rubio’s responsibilities extend to complex global issues in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and Greenland. Emily Horne, a former NSC spokesperson, expressed concerns about the depth of geopolitical analysis conducted on Venezuela’s situation. She questioned the preparedness for subsequent developments, despite meticulous military planning.

A White House official labeled such critiques as “inside baseball” and claimed they overlook the administration’s achievements, highlighting stability and economic cooperation with Venezuela.

Rubio’s daily presence at the White House, combined with a streamlined NSC, is deemed essential for executing Trump’s directives effectively. A senior official outlined Rubio’s three-phase strategy for Venezuela: stabilization, recovery with American market access, and eventual transition.

Walz says Trump will 'look into' reducing federal presence in MN. Live updates.

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday said President Donald Trumpagreed to consider reducing the number of immigration agents in Minnesota and will ensure state investigators can independently probe the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents. Walz's office said in a statement that he had a "productive" call with the president about an hour after Trump himself said the two were on a "similar wavelength." The comments mark a major tonal shift and come amid growing backlash after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis this month, including Pretti, an ICU nurse and who treated veterans, and Renee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three. Republican lawmakers have increasingly called for investigations into the killing of Pretti as Democrats refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security despite the likelihood of a government shutdown. Trump on Monday said he would send Homan to Minnesota to lead ICE operations on the ground. In Minneapolis, thousands of protesters braved subzero temperatures to decry the shooting and call for an end to the federal intervention. Meanwhile, a federal judge on Monday heard arguments over the legality of the ongoing immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Another judge will consider whether to extend an order barring federal authorities from "destroying or altering" evidence related to the deadly shooting of Pretti.