Bruno Fernandes' move to Manchester United is the sixth most expensive January signing, but who are the biggest and the best?
Man Utd finally managed to agree on a deal with a stubborn Sporting Lisbon to sign Fernandes for an initial outlay of £46m, which could eventually reach £68m.
The current fee though puts him sixth in the list of January signings and possibly higher depending on how those add-ons pile up.
It's often said that January deals never work out and that it's a far trickery situation than signing a player in the summer, but as always you usually get what you pay for and as you can see by the list the big-money deals have worked out pretty well.
Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool and Man City splashed out big for Virgil van Dijk and Aymeric Laporte, but they have proven to be among the best players for the league's dominant two sides.
Van Dijk may just be the best signing of all given the impact he's had on Liverpool.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the month's big-money deals - including several successes and one memorable flop.
Virgil Van Dijk
- Southampton to Liverpool, 2018, £75m
The Dutchman's fee was a world record for a defender, until beaten by Manchester United's capture of Harry Maguire, but he has justified it by becoming Liverpool's rock. He made himself popular from the outset with a debut winner against local rivals Everton in the FA Cup and has since been integral to the Reds' Champions League win last season and their march towards a seemingly inevitable Premier League triumph this term. He is the reigning Premier League, PFA and UEFA player of the year and was runner up at the FIFA Best awards and the Ballon d'Or.
Christian Pulisic
- Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea, 2019, £57.7m
The American was immediately loaned back to Dortmund, instead arriving in the summer to provide much-needed new blood for a Chelsea side working under a transfer ban. He showed his immense potential with a run of five goals in three games in October and November including a hat-trick against Burnley, but has been limited by injuries since.
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Aymeric Laporte
- Athletic Bilbao to Manchester City, 2018, £57m
Arriving in the same window as Van Dijk, the Frenchman played his part as City won back-to-back league titles and a domestic treble last season. His influence has perhaps been even more apparent in his absence this season, with City looking defensively shaky without him as they have fallen 19 points behind Liverpool.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
- Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal, 2018, £56m
The Gunners' record signing has 57 goals in 91 games for the club, moving ahead of Alexandre Lacazette as their key striker and forming an effective partnership with the France international when they play together. He has often captained the team this season and is a rare consistent presence in an under-achieving side.
Fernando Torres
- Liverpool to Chelsea, 2011, £50m
This deadline-day move, and Andy Carroll's linked move from Newcastle to replace the Spaniard at Anfield, became a case study in the dangers of over-spending in January. Torres scored just 43 goals in three and a half seasons with Chelsea, fewer than half of which came in the league, and his high-profile misses arguably live longer in the memory. Carroll, meanwhile, managed just 11 for Liverpool.
Bruno Fernandes
- Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, 2020, £46.6m
The midfielder comes with a goalscoring pedigree of his own - only two players, both strikers, have scored more in the Portuguese top flight since he arrived at Sporting in 2017. He has often been compared to Frank Lampard and if he can come close to the production of the former Chelsea star turned manager, United will be getting value for their significant investment.
With Deadline Day fast approaching, stick with Sporting Life for all the latest transfer news, with our live daily blog here and done deals for the month available here.
We will be providing live coverage on Friday ahead of the 2300 GMT deadline, keeping you across all the completed transfers across the Premier League, Sky Bet EFL and Europe.
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