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Branislav Ivanovic set to join Zenit, Odion Ighalo on his way to China

The winter transfer window is now in full swing! As usual, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to which rumours are picking up steam. Check out all the latest deals here.

TOP STORY: Ivanovic closes on Zenit, Ighalo to China

Branislav Ivanovic is set to complete his move from Chelsea to Zenit St Petersburg, Sky Sports claims, with just personal terms all that needs to be sorted.

Ivanovic had also been linked with a switch to West Brom but Baggies boss Tony Pulis ruled out any move involving his club, while Chelsea manager Antonio Conte confirmed his player is considering an offer to depart Stamford Bridge.

That offer is from Russian club Zenit, says Sky Sports, which reports that the Blues defender will seal the switch in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Odion Ighalo is also reportedly set to depart the Premier League before the transfer deadline, with China the Watford striker's destination.

According to Sky Sports, Watford have agreed a £20 million fee with Chinese club Chongchun Yatai for Ighalo, with the Hornets looking to cash in on a player who has only scored one league goal all season.

LIVE BLOG

23.03 GMT: That's going to do it for Monday's live edition of Transfer Talk. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the best rumours from Tuesday's papers.

22.59 GMT: Finland international midfielder Alexander Ring is set to complete a move to New York City FC from 2. Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern, according to German outlet kicker.

22.37 GMT: Crystal Palace are closing in on the signing Olympiakos midfielder Luka Milivojevic, with the player set to fly in for talks and a medical, sources close to the club have told ESPN FC.

22.15 GMT: With Southampton edging ever closer to a deal for Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini, Jay Rodriguez's time at St Mary's could be nearing an end, according to the Express. West Brom, Bournemouth, West Ham and Sunderland are all reportedly interested in the one-time England international.

21.52 GMT: DONE DEAL Alexandre Pato has completed his move to China's Tianjin Quanjian from Villarreal, tweeting on Monday that he was "very happy to be part of the Tianjin Quanjian family." Full story.

21.30 GMT: DONE DEAL AS Monaco have announced the signing of Sao Paulo defender Jorge on a contract until 2021.

21.08 GMT: Crystal Palace want a £2 million loan fee to allow Andros Townsend to return to Newcastle for the remainder of the season, plus an obligation to purchase the 25-year-old at £13 million, according to the Mirror.

20.45 GMT: DONE DEAL AC Milan have confirmed the loan signing of Lucas Ocampos from Genoa through the end of the season.

20.23 GMT: DONE DEAL Juventus have finalised the transfer of Riccardo Orsolini from Ascoli for a €6 million fee, and the 20-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract.

20.01 GMT: DONE DEAL Wolves have completed the permanent signing of winger Helder Costa from Benfica, the Sky Bet Championship club have announced. Full story.

19.38 GMT: Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Inter centre-back Andrea Ranocchia is set to join Hull City on loan.

19.16 GMT: Everton manager Ronald Koeman has said that striker Arouna Kone is free to leave the club, according to the Liverpool Echo, with Queens Park Rangers reportedly interested in the 33-year-old.

18.53 GMT: An update on Chelsea's chase for Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac, as the Mail reports that the West London club are set to counter Juventus' £4.2 million bid for the 23-year-old, who's out of contract in the summer, in hopes of finalising a deal on Tuesday.

17.31 GMT: Southampton are a step closer to completing a deal to sign Manolo Gabbiadini from Napoli, according to Sky Sports...

17.28 GMT: Sources have told ESPN FC that Burnley are lining up a move to bring Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood to Turf Moor.

17.20 GMT: DONE DEAL Ashkan Dejagah has signed for former club Wolfsburg on a free transfer after leaving Qatari side Al-Arabi...

17.16 GMT: West Brom have announced that midfielder Joe Ward has departed the club...

17.12 GMT: Sources have told ESPN FC that Jordon Mutch is set to leave Crystal Palace for a loan move to Championship side Reading before the transfer window closes.

17.07 GMT: More news from Chelsea, who, Sky Sports claims, are after Celtic striker Moussa Dembele. If they really want him, he's not going to come cheap...

17.03 GMT: Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has dismissed reports linking Gaston Ramirez with a move to Leicester. "The only thing is Gaston Ramirez will be here on Feb. 1," he said. "One hundred percent.''

16.57 GMT: Goal is reporting that Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom is set to join Brighton on loan for the remainder of the season. Aston Villa were also interested in signing Akpom, but he has opted for a move to the Championship club instead.

16.50 GMT: Everton boss Ronald Koeman has declared his interest in signing Burnley defender Michael Keane, telling a news conference: "Yes, he is one of that list, like some more defenders."

16.42 GMT: DONE DEAL Former United States international Oguchi Onyewu has joined MLS outfit Philadelphia Union...

16.35 GMT: Some strong words from Leonardo Ulloa, who seems desperate to leave Leicester before the transfer window shuts... The Foxes have reportedly knocked back two bids for the striker from Sunderland.

16.30 GMT: Burnley boss Sean Dyche insists he has no issue with Steven Defour despite the midfielder intimating he would not be averse to a move to China. Story here.

16.22 GMT: DONE DEAL News of not one, but two done deals at Sunderland, who have just completed the signings of Bryan Oviedo and Darron Gibson from Everton... Story here.

16.12 GMT: With Branislav Ivanovic set to depart Chelsea, the Blues are eyeing up a move for Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac, according to Sky Sports...

16.09 GMT: Swansea boss Paul Clement has ruled out a move for Benfica defender Lisandro Lopez...

16.04 GMT: DONE DEAL Queens Park Rangers have completed the signing of Luke Freeman from Bristol City on a three-and-a-half-year deal...

15.59 GMT: Swansea defender Neil Taylor is having a medical at Aston Villa tonight, sources have told ESPN FC. Villa forward Jordan Ayew is set to move the other way as part of the deal.

15.31 GMT: Jese Rodriguez will take a huge pay cut in order join Las Palmas on loan from Paris Saint-Germain for the remainder of the season, according to the La Liga club. "Our intention is to unveil Jese on Tuesday afternoon at the Gran Canaria stadium," Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez added. Story here.

15.19 GMT: Antonio Conte has confirmed that Branislav Ivanovic is considering an offer from another club, but said that the Serb and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic will be part of Chelsea's squad to take on Liverpool at Anfield unless their situations change. Story here.

15.10 GMT: Ashkan Dejagah has indicated on Instagram that he will be returning to Wolfsburg, where he played for five years until 2012, from Al-Arabi. However, there has so far been no confirmation of the move for the 30-year-old former Fulham man.

15.07 GMT: Wycombe attracted plenty of admiration at the weekend, with their last-gasp FA Cup defeat at Tottenham coming after an outstanding performance. Now Gareth Ainsworth's side have added a striker to their ranks:

15.04 GMT: We've been used to seeing players leaving Hull City in recent weeks -- but now Sky Sports reports one could be arriving, saying a £3 million fee has been agreed with Watford for midfielder Adlene Guedioura.

14.57 GMT: Could the saga over where Watford striker Odion Ighalo goes next be on the verge of coming to an end?

Sky Sports reports that the Hornets have agreed a fee of £20 million with Chinese club Chongchun Yatai for Ighalo, who has struggled for goals since making a spectacular start to his Watford career last season.

14.51 GMT: Queens Park Rangers hope to wrap up a deal to sign striker Matt Smith from Fulham by the end of Monday, the London Evening Standard reports.

It says Rangers, whose attempts to sign Danny Ward from Rotherham United appear to have foundered, will pay around £1 million for Smith, with the first £500,000 up front. The player has fallen out of favour at Craven Cottage in recent months.

14.43 GMT: DONE DEAL Burnley have loaned out winger Josh Ginnelly to FA Cup giant-killers Lincoln City for the rest of the season...

14.37 GMT: Dimitri Payet has been unveiled by Marseille as their new signing -- and he's had this to say about former club West Ham...

14.30 GMT: Barcelona fans have expressed concerns about Lionel Messi's contract situation as well as fears about life at the Camp Nou after the Argentina captain has moved on, according to a survey of the club's registered members. Story here.

14.22 GMT: We mentioned West Ham's interest in Brentford striker Scott Hogan a little earlier... Well, Sky Sports is now reporting that Crystal Palace are also in the hunt to sign him and have made contact with Brentford over his availability.

14.17 GMT: DONE DEAL Everton's Tyias Browning has signed a new deal with the club and been loaned out to Preston for the rest of the season as well.

14.00 GMT: Earlier today, West Brom boss Tony Pulis said he would not be signing Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic -- and now the Mirror reports that the player is in advanced talks with Russian club Zenit St Petersburg, who had also been strongly linked with him.

13.27 GMT: Could Southampton's move for Napoli striker Manolo Gabbiadini fall through? talkSPORT reports that it may do because both clubs are locked in talks over a fee and frustrated Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis could now pull the plug.

13.24 GMT: News from France, where Romain Alessandrini is set to leave Marseille and join LA Galaxy on a three-year deal, L'Equipe reports.

13.19 GMT: DONE DEAL Nottingham Forest have brought in Aston Villa midfielder Aaron Tshibola on loan for the remainder of the season:

13.15 GMT: Anderlecht defender Kara Mbodji is refusing to return to the Belgian club from the African Nations Cup, where he has been representing Senegal, in protest at a move to Leicester being blocked, Belgian paper Nieuwsblad is reporting.

13.12 GMT: West Ham have been pursuing Brentford striker Scott Hogan for most of the month and have reopened talks with the Bees, who want £15 million for their star forward, the Mirror reports.

Speaking after the FA Cup defeat at Chelsea, Brentford boss Dean Smith said: "If Scott does go I'll shake his hand because I can understand him harbouring ambitions of playing in the Premier League."

12.58 GMT: QPR will sign Bristol City winger Luke Freeman, who turned down the offer of a new deal at Ashton Gate, on a three-and-a-half-year contract, sources have told ESPN FC.

12.34 GMT: As we reported earlier, West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis has ruled out a move for Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic -- and he has now ruled out a move for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson as well.

12.26 GMT: DONE DEAL A departure from Stoke:

12.16 GMT: Birmingham, still without a win under new boss Gianfranco Zola after defeat at Norwich on Saturday, are interested in Watford striker Jerome Sinclair, sources close to the Blues have told ESPN FC.

12.13 GMT: DONE DEAL And another! Rotherham have brought in Cardiff defender Semi Ajayi on loan until the end of the season:

12.11 GMT: DONE DEAL And another Championship done deal, this time from Reading:

12.05 GMT: DONE DEAL He has been training at Portman Road for a while nopw, and Ipswich have confirmed that former Newcastle defender Steven Taylor, a free agent, has joined them:

11.42 GMT: Burnley have had a £10 million bid for Hull City defender Andy Robertson, sources close to the clubs have told ESPN FC.

11.41 GMT: The splendid seaside town of Brighton has a promotion-challenging team to grace it this season -- and that team could soon be added to by Arsenal youngster Chuba Akpom who is poised to join on loan, according to the Mirror.

11.18 GMT: A bit more from Arsene Wenger -- he has stressed that right-back Carl Jenkinson is unlikely to complete a move before Tuesday's deadline and dismissed speculation that he is interested in Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema.

Arsenal had agreed a deal with Crystal Palace for Jenkinson but the defender failed to agree personal terms, and Wenger told a news conference: "There's no news about him at all.

11.02 GMT: Suddenly, it's all about Crystal Palace. Sam Allarduce has said he is interested in ex-Juventus defender Martin Caceres, a free agent:

10.37 GMT: DONE DEAL Bolton are trying to get back into the Championship, and this is one of the players they feel can help them do that:

10.35 GMT: West Ham United's Reece Oxford and Ashley Fletcher are being lined up for loan moves to Nottingham Forest and Leeds, sources close to the Hammers have told ESPN FC.

10.21 GMT: DONE DEAL You know how we were talking about Crystal Palace's transfer window frustration a short while ago? Hold that thought:

10.01 GMT: DONE DEAL Well that didn't take long, did it?

09.51 GMT: Valencia coach Salvador Gonzalez has said negotiations for the departure of goalkeeper Matt Ryan on loan are at an "advanced stage."

Marca reports that the Australia international will play at Belgian club Genk on loan until the end of the season.

09.47 GMT: Big Sam Allardyce has spoken of his big frustration at Crystal Palace's transfer window so far, with targets slipping away. And he won't be too thrilled about this: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told a news conference that a move for defender Carl Jenkinson to Selhurst Park "doesn't look like it will happen."

09.36 GMT: If you can't beat them, get them to join you: Watford are weighing up a move for Millwall winger Fred Onyedinma, who helped the League One side to a 1-0 win over the Hornets at the Den on Sunday, says the Mirror.

09.25 GMT: Sunderland need new faces and, says Sky Sports, these could be two of them:

09.11 GMT: And now to Italy, where Javier Pastore won't be going to Juventus, according to his agent. Ever Banega, meanwhile, is happy at Inter Milan and will stay until the end of the season.

09.05 GMT: A first visit of the day to Germany, where Hamburg are set to sign 21-year-old midfielder Wallace from Gremio Porto Alegre for around €10 million today, kicker reports.

09.00 GMT: Another Anfield-related snippet: Real Betis defender Riza Durmisi has said he is aware of reported Liverpool interest in him.

Left-back Durmisi has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent weeks, with James Milner and Alberto Moreno currently the only options in that position for Jurgen Klopp.

08.45 GMT: The Sun says Liverpool "are determined to land Roma star Leandro Paredes as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to turn around recent slump in form." It says the Merseysiders are willing to pay around £25 million for the 22-year-old.

08.40 GMT: First he was joining. Then he wasn't. Now he is again -- Ajax defender Mitchell Dijks is on his way to Norwich City on loan for the rest of the season, says the Eastern Daily Press, after manager Alex Neil "made a persuasive case to resurrect the proposed deal."

08.30 GMT: Bristol City could do with a boost after a nightmarish losing league run, and the Bristol Post suggests Southampton winger Lloyd Isgrove could be on his way in to pep up their attack. Fellow wide player Luke Freeman, meanwhile, appears to be on his way out of Ashton Gate with QPR likely to sign him.

08.15 GMT: Over to Spain, where Marca reports that PSG's Jese, who had been interesting Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka, will be joining Las Palmas on loan instead.

08.05 GMT: And so here we are - the penultimate day of the January transfer window. By tomorrow night, you will know just who your club has (or hasn't) managed to sign. Let's start today with Burnley: Midfielder Steven Defour has indicated that he could be part of a growing exodus to China at some point, saying: "I can't say I'm staying here forever if there is a big opportunity in China or elsewhere, or even in England."

Chelsea back in for Celtic's Gordon

After the Mirror reported that a move to Bournemouth is drawing closer for Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic -- as long as the Londoners bring in a replacement -- Sky Sports says the Blues' pursuit of Celtic keeper Craig Gordon is ongoing.

Begovic, who played against Brentford in the FA Cup, has no regrets about joining Chelsea but is desperate to get back to playing first-team football.

And he could soon do just that, with Sky reporting that the Blues "have launched a second bid, of £4 million, for Gordon after having an initial offer rejected on Friday."

Celtic, the defending champions and runaway leaders of the Scottish Premiership, have said they want the goalkeeper to stay and sign a new contract.

Saints close in on Napoli striker

Cometh the hour, cometh the Manolo? The Mirror thinks so, reporting that Southampton feel they can wrap up a £17 million deal for Napoli striker Manolo Gabbiadini before Tuesday night.

The Saints want to offer Gabbiadini, 24, a four-year deal that would put an end to Everton's interest in the player who stretches back to last summer's window.

The Mirror says the Italy international remains a target for "a number of Premier League clubs," but EFL Cup finalists Saints are now at the front of the queue.

Foxes hunt double deal

Champions Leicester City are hopeful that they can wrap up moves for Middlesbrough's Gaston Ramirez and defender Kara Mbodji of Anderlecht before the bell tolls for the end of the window, according to the Leicester Mercury.

It reports that although the Foxes have seen bids for both players turned down, they are "prepared to go down to the wire to land their targets."

Ramirez has submitted a transfer request in an effort to secure a switch to the King Power, but the Mercury reports that move will only happen if the northeast club can bring in a replacement.

Leicester, however, "remain confident a deal with Boro can be done, possibly even on Monday."

Tap-ins

- Leeds United fans could do with a fillip after the shock FA Cup defeat to non-league Sutton United, and the man to provide it looks like being West Ham United striker Ashley Fletcher, says the Mail.

It reports that the former Manchester United player is likely to be heading to Elland Road on loan after starting only three games for the Hammers this season.

Fletcher, the Mail adds, "is keen to join a club of Leeds' standing and to play regularly," with the move likelier to go through if and when West Ham complete their protracted pursuit of Brentford's Scott Hogan.

- Middlesbrough were one of several clubs interested in signing Hull City's Robert Snodgrass, but having missed out on him, they are turning their attentions to Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney.

The Sun says Cairney is now the top target for Boro boss Aitor Karanka, who is "attempting to seal a £7 million deal for the former Blackburn player," with officials at the Riverside Stadium hopeful a deal can go through.