Frenetic negotiations were on as the 11pm GMT (4.30am IST, Wednesday) deadline approached for the January transfer window to close.

Reports in the British media suggested that in a stunning move, Premier League leaders Arsenal had agreed to a £12 million fee deal with Chelsea to sign the Italian midfielder Jorginho. The Gunners have reportedly agreed to an 18-month permanent deal for the Italian with an option for a further year.

Jorginho, who Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had tried to sign before, has six months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal pushed for the deal in the knowledge that Chelsea will need to offload some players after a busy transfer window, including the potential £105 million transfer of Enzo Fernández.

The Jorginho move is believed to be linked to a deal being agreed upon with Benfica for Fernández, who has been omitted from the Lisbon club’s squad for their match on Tuesday night.

Chelsea were reportedly preparing to arrange a medical for Fernández in Portugal in an attempt to conclude the deal before the deadline.

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea officials have flown to Lisbon and are doing their best to secure the 22-year-old Argentinian midfielder’s signature.

Arteta’s gamble

Arsenal have twice failed to sign Moisés Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion. However, with the league title challenge on, ensuring some immediate impact from additions was key, one reason why Leandro Trossard was brought in after Arteta missed out on Ukraine’s Mykhailo Mudryk who moved to Chelsea earlier this month on a £88 million deal from Shakhtar Donetsk.

Although Arteta’s model has been to sign younger players and offload older players, he admitted that the club has to “think short-term, but as well as the medium and long-term” when he signed Trossard, 28, from Brighton this month. He also came under pressure when he did not sign a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window last year and Arsenal finished fifth.

The move makes sense in a season where there is little time for a player to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League. Jorginho, for one, is ready for the task. Second, the 18-month contract does not lock Arsenal into any decisions for the long term; furthermore, Arteta has the option of investing in one or more big-money targets in the midfield in the summer.

Jorginho’s style of play also suits Arteta. He is good in defensive duels and can send passes into the box which would help the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.

Cancelo to Bayern

Bayern Munich have signed full-back Joao Cancelo on an initial loan deal from Manchester City for the rest of the season with an option to buy the Portugal international, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.

Bayern had earlier signed keeper Yann Sommer and defender Daley Blind.

Written with inputs from Reuters