Five Peculiar Deals That Could Still Happen Before January's Deadline

January brings out the strange in football, and this year's window is shaping up to deliver its fair share of head-scratchers. Here are five transfers that feel genuinely peculiar – yet could still materialise before the deadline passes.

The Secret United Midfielder Revealed

United's recent intrigue over a loan deal for an unnamed midfielder with overseas pedigree and Premier League history got tongues wagging last week. Step forward: Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The 27-year-old has featured in every available Serie A fixture this season, though predominantly from the bench in various midfield positions. According to Maurizio Sarri and Milan director Igli Tare, the former Chelsea man qualifies as a 'complete' midfielder – a handy skillset given his positional flexibility. He earned an England recall in September but missed out on the October and November squads under Thomas Tuchel.

A Premier League return would certainly intrigue, though Wilfried Ndidi at Besiktas appears to better suit United's actual requirements.

Abraham Back to Villa

Aston Villa find themselves in genuine striker peril following the surprise shipment of Donyell Malen to Roma without any replacement lined up. Unai Emery will not countenance leaving this window empty-handed in attack, regardless of the scarcity of options.

Enter a familiar face: Tammy Abraham. The 28-year-old's loan spell helped fire Villa to promotion back in 2019, and now he could return from Besiktas, where he arrived from Roma last summer. His temporary deal has already triggered the Turkish club's obligation to purchase – though Abraham has still accumulated 13 goals and three assists.

Villa's scouts made the trip to Istanbul ahead of their Europa League meeting with Fenerbahce specifically to run the rule over Abraham in action on Monday evening. That didn't produce a goal, but it hasn't dampened their enthusiasm. Besiktas will need to find a replacement first, mind you.

The Guessand Gambit at Palace

Oliver Glasner's blood pressure could take quite a hit if Jean-Philippe Mateta departs Selhurst Park. Mateta himself would be considerably less than thrilled if Palace let him slip through their fingers.

Juventus have expressed genuine interest, and Villa represent an equally tempting proposition. A creative accounting solution – technically not a part-exchange deal for PSR purposes – could see Evann Guessand head to Palace with additional cash sweetening the arrangement. Villa would likely emerge with the better end of that particular bargain.

Guessand can operate centrally as a Mateta replacement, though he typically flourishes operating wider or deeper – precisely what Palace don't require if their primary striker departs. The schadenfreude value of Glasner's reaction alone makes this scenario worth monitoring.

Beto's Italian Escape

West Ham seemed the obvious destination for Beto before the window opened – the fit felt almost preordained. Instead, the Hammers pivoted to Lazio, recruiting Taty Castellanos to plug their forward shortage.

Should Callum Wilson somehow depart – increasingly unlikely – perhaps West Ham would circle back. But having caught wind of Como's interest, the former Udinese forward might well be ignoring Nuno's calls.

The choice presents itself starkly: a relegation scrap in a characterless stadium beside an east London shopping complex, or a European push in one of the world's finest football settings? The answer seems rather straightforward from Italy's perspective.

Sterling's Continental Conundrum

Raheem Sterling faces a similarly straightforward decision, albeit with different geography. West Ham and Fulham are dangling London-based lifelines, while Napoli offer the prospect of joining a Serie A title fight.

Antonio Conte has built a reputation on rehabilitating Premier League castaways, and Sterling fits the profile perfectly. Napoli pursued him last summer, but he remained at Chelsea to further enhance their increasingly notorious squad surplus. A wage reduction would be necessary, though Sterling has been collecting substantial Chelsea wages for minimal output regardless.

Reports conflict on Sterling's thinking – some suggest he's embraced the notion of a foreign adventure, others insist he'd prefer staying put in the capital. Between a struggling London club and a Neapolitan spring, the choice seems obvious to most observers. Time to book that flight.