When January transfer window opens, closes and deadline day details | Football | Sport

The New Year has arrived, signalling the opening of the January transfer window worldwide. Deals are already underway across the UK, with numerous teams actively securing new stars for the second half of the season.

Manchester City have already initiated action to secure the transfer of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo. Earlier in December 2025, the title contenders began discussions with the striker’s representatives regarding his £65million release clause from the Cherries. Several other Premier League clubs are also in the process of identifying potential recruits to bolster their squad for the latter half of the 2025/26 campaign.

Here, Express Football provides all the details on when the transfer window opens, closes and everything you need to know about Deadline Day.

Has the January transfer window opened?

In short, yes. The January transfer window opened on Thursday, January 1, for Scottish and English clubs.

The timings differ for other leagues, with the winter window for Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship clubs opening on Friday, January 2, 2026.

When is Deadline Day?

Again, the final day of the transfer window varies for men’s and women’s football. Deadline Day falls on Monday, February 2, 2026, and the Premier League window closes at 7pm.

The window for most major European leagues – including France, Germany, Italy and Spain – also closes on Monday, February 2, 2026, with times varying across each country.

The transfer window deadlines in England, France, Germany, and Italy are all set to close at 7pm UK time. Spain has an additional four hours to finalise their transfers, with La Liga’s window closing at 11pm UK time.

In women’s football, Deadline Day is set for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, and will close at 11pm UK time.

Is it possible for clubs to sign players outside the January transfer window?

Indeed, it is. Players can negotiate deals with clubs outside of the January transfer window timeframe, but they won’t be eligible to play for their new team until the window reopens.

The situation with free agents and loan signings

Free agents differ from contracted players in that they can sign with a club at any point, provided they are not currently tied to any team. If a player becomes a free agent at the beginning of July, they can agree to a transfer to another club this month.

However, they won’t be able to officially join until their contract with their current club has ended. Regarding loan signings in England, Premier League clubs are not allowed to register more than two players on loan simultaneously.

A club can register a maximum of four loans in the same season, and they also cannot loan more than one player from the same club at the same time. As for Premier League clubs loaning players to each other, the only restriction is that a player signed in January cannot be loaned out in the same transfer window in which they were signed.

EFL rules permit clubs greater flexibility to secure temporary contracts for players, but a maximum of five can be included in a matchday squad. Championship, League One or League Two clubs are prohibited from signing more than four players on loan in any given season, with no more than two of these signings being over the age of 23.

This is determined by calculating the player’s age as of June 30 prior to the season in which the loan occurs. Any loan that subsequently becomes a permanent transfer does not count towards a club’s limits.

EFL clubs are permitted to make an emergency loan if all their professional goalkeepers are unavailable due to injury, suspension or international call-ups.