Five blockbuster moves of the January transfer window

As the January transfer window comes to an end, here is our pick of the five major moves that took place over the course of the month.

Arsenal roped in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €64million on transfer deadline day.

January 2018 witnessed one of the most active mid-season transfer windows. The month began with Philippe Coutinho's much-anticipated big-money move to Barcelona and ended with Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's arrival at Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund.

Here's our pick of the five top transfers that went down in January.

1) Philippe Coutinho- Liverpool to Barcelona

No doubts for guessing, the skillful Philippe Coutinho tops the list. The Brazilian's move to Barcelona was log due and he finally signed the dotted lines on a record transfer fee of a staggering €160million. The move, which will see him at Camp Nou for five-and-a-half-years, made him the third most expensive player in history.  

Philippe Coutinho

 

2) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang- Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal

Arsenal successfully signed Borussia Dortmund's wantaway striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on transfer deadline for a club-record fee of €64million. Auba will play a very crucial role in Arsene Wenger's scheme of things, following Alexis Sanchez's switch to Manchester United.

Arsenal's club-record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

 

3) Alexis Sanchez- Arsenal to Manchester United

In a major move between two EPL clubs, Alexis Sanchez made his way to Old Trafford in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan head to the Emirates.

READ: As it happened-  Transfer Deadline Day

Arsenal had initially demanded close to €40million for Sanchez but ultimately accepted a trade for the Armenia international to avoid getting nothing for Sanchez.

Alexis Sanchez making his Manchester United debut.

 

4) Virgil Van Dijk- Southampton to Liverpool

Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk completed a sensational move from Southampton to Liverpool for a massive €85million, making him the world's most expensive defender.

His arrival will boost Liverpool's defence, which has come in for heavy criticism and conceded 29 Premier League goals this season, the most among the top-four clubs on the table.

 

5) Olivier Giroud- Arsenal to Chelsea

Chelsea roped in Olivier Giroud from from rival side Arsenal for a reported fee of €20million, ending the club's long hunt for a new centre-forward. The Frenchman had for long been struggling for game-time at Arsenal and with the FIFA World Cup approaching, he will look to impress when he plays for the EPL champion side.

Olivier Giroud will be moving to Chelsea.

 

Some of the other notable moves of the transfer window include Lucas Moura's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £25million, Arsenal play-maker Mesut Ozil signing a contract extension that will see him remain at the club until 2021 and Marc Bartra joining La-Liga outfit Real Betis.