Transfer ticker
Record transfer in England – ex-national player terminates contract
01/28/2026 – 6:58 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
The national and international clubs are planning for the coming second half of the season. All important news in the transfer ticker.
The German clubs are allowed to sign additional players until February 2nd (8 p.m.). At t-online you can find an overview of information about changes from Germany and around the world.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Long-time English international soccer player Raheem Sterling is leaving Chelsea FC with immediate effect. The Premier League club announced that they had mutually agreed to terminate the contract. Sterling moved from Manchester City to London in the summer of 2022 for over 50 million euros and was actually tied there until mid-2027.
Last season he was loaned out to league rivals Arsenal FC. After his return to Chelsea, the 31-year-old did not play any more games and recently stopped training with the first team. “All eyes are on the future. God is great,” Sterling wrote in response on his Instagram Story.
According to English media reports, clubs from home and abroad are interested, and the experienced winger has also been linked to runner-up Bayer Leverkusen, as he did last summer.
The traditional Brazilian club Flamengo has broken the transfer record in South America by signing national player Lucas Paquetá. The 28-year-old midfielder comes from West Ham United of the English Premier League for around 42 million euros. The 61-time national player started his professional career with the club from Rio de Janeiro.
Paquetá was tied to the “Hammers” until 2027, but is expected to sign a five-year contract in Brazil. “Lucas has made it clear that for personal and family reasons he wants to return to Brazil and make a fresh start,” the club said. “Despite the club doing everything in its power to encourage Lucas to stay, Lucas remained adamant in his desire to leave the club. Therefore, the head coach and the club have reluctantly agreed to grant his transfer request.”
Paquetá was investigated by the English Association (FA) in 2023 for match-fixing – he is said to have deliberately provoked yellow cards on which acquaintances were said to have placed bets. As a result, his move to Manchester City fell through last summer, as he himself admitted. The FA only gave him a warning instead of a year-long penalty.
