January 2024 and the transfer window is open.
As far as La Liga is concerned that means only one thing: speculation and lots of it. That includes links to various players as clubs bid to strengthen their offering for the second half of the campaign.
There are so many questions which we won’t know an answer to for a wee while.
The most notable poser is can Girona continue to go great guns? The club which is only in its fourth ever season in the Spanish top flight and has never finished higher than 10th.
The club from North Catalonia, with a ground that holds only 14,624, some of them on scaffolding stands, which is joint top of the table and the top scorers in the division.
Remember this is the side hailing from a city of 97,586 people, overshadowed by Barcelona 99 kilometres down the road, and a club which sold a number of its best players last summer, including Oriol Romeu (to Barcelona), top scorer Taty Castellanos, their best winger Rodrigo Riquelme, and centre-back, Santi Bueno.
Based on their first half of the campaign, if the side can strengthen this month, why shouldn’t a title challenge be sustained or, at the very least, continue to deliver La Liga highlights.
Girona certainly began the New Year in the same fashion to see off 2021 champions Atletico Madrid in a seven goal thriller.
Neighbours Barcelona have already delved into the market this month with the acquisition of a promising 18 year-old in Victor Roque.
The former Athletico Paranaense forward has signed a seven-and-a-half-year deal to move to Catalonia with a reported €500 million release clause in his contract.
One suspects it will take far more than promise to lift Barca back into the title race and they certainly have been linked with other names this month.
One of those is Aleix Garcia, whose name has been mentioned frequently in connection with the Blaugrana over the last six weeks.
However, their preferred option is to sign a midfielder on loan with an option to buy in the summer. If that is the case, then their chances of signing Garcia are significantly slimmer as Girona would be reluctant to let any of their players leave mid-season – especially when they are proving the surprise outfit in the whole of Europe this term.
Barca has also been linked with a bid for Amadou Onana.
The 22 year-old Everton midfielder and a Belgian international has a reported price tag of €70 which would complicate matters.
The SBOTOP La Liga betting odds make Real Madid title favourites for a reason and the foundation is certainly in place is one Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian has just signed a new deal with the club which will run until June 2026.
Appointed at the Bernabeu for a second time in 2021 on an initial three-year deal, he had been linked with taking over as manager of the Brazilian national team earlier this year but said he wanted to remain in Madrid.
He has already won 10 titles as boss, including two Champions Leagues.
Real may not be active in the January transfer market but don’t be surprised if there is one big arrival this summer.
Kylian Mbappe reportedly has an offer on the table from current employers Paris St Germain to renew his contract long-term at the Parc des Princes, while Real seemingly had set a deadline for the end of the month for the French captain to make up his mind.
Yet Marca reports that Los Blancos have not made an offer for Mbappe, nor set him a deadline or discussed figures in terms of salary or signing bonus.
Expect this to drag on for many months yet – perhaps longer – as the potentially biggest signing in years at the Santiago Bernabeu takes some time.
It won’t be this month but don’t bet against it in the longer-term.
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