Nkunku, Mitoma, Watkins & Co – The biggest failed deals of the 24/25 winter transfer window

​

Fine margins 

©TM/IMAGO

The January transfer window provided plenty of twists and turns. Manchester City splashed the cash, bringing in Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and then for good measure they also signed Porto midfielder Nico González on deadline day, which took the Sky Blues spending to over €200 million this winter. For some other clubs, it was a month of ‘ifs and maybes’, with plenty of big deals falling through. Here at Transfermarkt we took a look back through the past four or five weeks and put together a list of the five biggest failed deals of the 2024/25 winter transfer window.

Ollie Watkins to Arsenal

Arsenal’s hunt for a new forward in January failed to materialise. Mikel Arteta’s team have been without Bukayo Saka since December, whilst Gabriel Jesus won’t play again this season. They are very short on numbers, and saw a bid in the region of €70m rejected for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins late in the January window. Villa instead chose to sell Jhon Durán to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, meaning the Gunners attempt to sign the England forward, who as a boyhood Arsenal fan, failed to go through. If Kai Havertz gets injured the Gunners could have a serious problem for the season run-in.

Kaoru Mitoma to Al-Nassr

Al-Nassr had a busy deadline day. The Saudi club sealed a €77m deal for Durán, but also tried a late move to bring in Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma. They first bid €65m and then a whopping €90m for the Japanese international, but the Seagulls were unwilling to let him leave. His market value is just €45m, and the proposed deal would have represented a significant profit on the €3m they paid for the player back in 2021. 

Christopher Nkunku to Bayern Munich

One of the longest sagas of the window revolved around Christopher Nkunku. The Chelsea forward has had limited game time this season, and was linked with a number of clubs throughout January, including Manchester United. However, the biggest interest came from German giants Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, the clubs failed to agree on the valuation of the player, with the Blues reportedly asking for around €65m for the Frenchman.

Jordan Henderson to Monaco

A frosty press conference with the Dutch media came earlier this week, after Jordan Henderson’s proposed move to Ligue 1 side Monaco fell through. Reports were conflicting, with some suggesting the former Liverpool captain tried to force a move away from Ajax, with others claiming the club wanted to sell him. Nevertheless, he remains in Amsterdam and will be hoping for a strong second half of the season in the Netherlands.

Victor Boniface to Al-Nassr

Al-Nassr’s pursuit of a new striker this January had originally looked as though it would come in the form of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface. A reported big-money €70m deal has been agreed for the striker, who has been stricken with injury problems, but instead the Saudi outfit chose to bring in Durán, meaning Boniface would be staying with last season’s Bundesliga champions for the rest of the season.