Manchester City and Aston Villa made big moves just before the midseason transfer window closed on Monday.
Four-time defending Premier League champion City secured a late deal for Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez for a reported $61.8 million, while three-time Champions League winner Marco Asensio joined Villa on loan to the end of the season.

Highly rated French forward Mathys Tel joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich on Monday after falling out of favor at the German powerhouse.
The 19-year-old Tel was the subject of reported interest from clubs including Manchester United, Marseille and Chelsea. He's joined Spurs to the end of the season and the Premier League club has the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

The trade was put together in secret, with only a precious few people knowing what was happening. Luka Doncic didn't know. Anthony Davis didn't know. Their coaches didn't know. Their teammates didn't know.

Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoffs round in a standout clash of the past two title winners after the draw was made Friday.
Man City, the 2023 champion, will host the first leg on Feb. 11 or 12 and the return game in Madrid is on Feb. 18 or 19. Madrid won a record-extending 15th European title last season.

Manchester United and Tottenham put their inconsistent domestic campaigns aside and advanced to the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday.
Diogo Dalot tapped in a precise cross by Kobbie Mainoo on the hour mark and Mainoo netted eight minutes later for a 2-0 victory over Romanian champion FCSB in Bucharest.

Neymar has confirmed he will sign what is expected to be a short-term contract with his boyhood club, Santos, as the Brazil striker aims to recharge his career ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The 32-year-old Neymar said Thursday that he's returning to the Sao Paulo club, and local media reported that the deal will extend only to June 30.

Brest is next in line as defending champion Paris Saint-Germain tries to stay unbeaten in the French league.
PSG leads by 10 points with 15 games to go and remains on course for a yet another Ligue 1 and French Cup double.

After a frantic last round of action Wednesday, the inaugural 36-team league phase in Champions League history is over.
Here's a look at some of the numbers that tell the story of how the first season in the new-look format has gone:

Neymar's move from Al-Hilal to Brazilian club Santos means the Saudi Pro League has lost one of its most high-profile players.
The Brazilian attacker was among the global stars who transferred to Saudi clubs in 2023 when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr and Karim Benzema left Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad.

Neymar has agreed to return to Santos nearly 12 years after he left the Brazilian team, club president Marcelo Teixeira said Tuesday.
The Brazil striker confirmed earlier that his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once.
