The winter football transfer window closed on Monday 3 February and as ever, speculation was at fever pitch as fans and pundits shared rumours and made predictions about where some of the sport's biggest stars could be heading.
There are loads of social media accounts and even whole sections of websites that are dedicated to sharing these stories – but how can you be sure which are true and which should be shown the red card?
When is transfer deadline day?
The winter transfer window in England opened on 1 January 2025 and closed on 3 February 2025.
Mo Salah signs for Al-Ittihad – Fake!
Rumours around the future of Liverpool's Mo Salah are all over social media as the striker's contract is due to expire in the summer, which means he is now able to speak to foreign clubs.
The past few transfer windows have seen a number of big names lured to the Saudi Pro League with Salah having recently been at the centre of speculation about him heading to Al-Ittihad. Some of the stories were even illustrated with images that had been manipulated to show him wearing the club’s shirt.
Images that look like they may not be real should set off alarm bells about whether a story is true.
Manipulated images - created in photo-editing tools or using AI - are becoming more common online due to new technology, so you should always consider whether the image you are looking at is AI or real. If unsure, think about doing a reverse image search to check the source of the image and to see where they've been used before.
Marcus Rashford signs for Paris Saint-Germain – Fake!
Transfer speculation around Marcus Rashford has been huge this window, with new United head coach Ruben Amorim suggesting he would rather give a place on the bench to his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach instead of the forward. It was confirmed that Aston Villa have completed the loan signing of Rashford until the end of the season.
Clickbait-style headlines are becoming increasingly popular on social media platforms, and a Facebook page recently shared a fake news story that claimed Marcus Rashford had signed to Paris Saint-Germain.
The post included a quote ‘from Manchester United’ that read: “Am Very Sure we will gain from this transfer fee. I can’t believe PSG are willing to pay that huge amount of money plus an amazing player just to Marcus Rashford”.
Posts containing lots of mistakes should immediately make you question the authenticity of what you are reading, while you should also think about who is sharing the update – no matter how many followers the account may have.
You can always check official football club accounts, as well as trusted sports websites to confirm whether stories are true. This can help to stop the spread of misinformation elsewhere.
Turkish midfielder signs for Aberdeen FC – Fake!
There are lots of well-respected ‘ITK’ (in the know) writers in the world of football journalism who fans turn to when they want to hear the latest transfer news.
However, sometimes trusted sources can get it wrong in the rush to be first with a story as deals can be complicated and fall through at the last minute so - and other times even they can be duped by fake news.
In 2017, Sky Sports shared a fake news story posted by a spoof Aberdeen FC Twitter account, claiming the club had signed a fictitious Turkish midfielder.
A closer look at the original post reveals that the account handle spelled Aberdeen incorrectly with two ‘n’s. It’s worth looking out for details like this, as well as establishing when the social media account was set up and the number of followers it has.
If you haven’t heard of a player before, you can check a search engine for more information. On this occasion it wouldn’t have returned any relevant results, and a reverse image search on the player's photograph would have identified him as Turkish footballer Hakan Balta, who at the time played for Galatasaray.
If the news is being attributed to a journalist, you can also look at their socials to see if they have shared the story.
David Beckham signs for Barcelona – Fake!
Transfer rumours aren’t unique to social media and have been around for ages. Back in 2003 rumours swirled that David Beckham would be exiting the UK to sign for a European club.
Barcelona was hotly tipped as the frontrunner, with photographs even emerging of football shirts featuring his name on sale in the club’s official merchandise store.
However, shortly after newspapers and websites reported that Manchester United had agreed a conditional deal, Beckham’s management company suggested he would veto the transfer and he eventually signed to Real Madrid for £25m.
More than 20 years later, the story continues to be talked about and in 2021 a former Barcelona FC presidential candidate claimed the whole saga had been manufactured to help his rival win the club’s 2003 election.
The red cards to look out for on winter transfer deadline day 2025
While speculating can be fun for fans, it’s important to remember that it remains speculation until the news is confirmed in an official statement by either the football club or player at the centre of it.
You should always pay attention to how stories have been written. Look out for words and phrases like ‘reportedly’, ‘according to rumours’ and ‘sources claim’, which are commonly used when reporting speculation rather than facts.
So as the 11pm deadline approaches next transfer deadline day, don't believe everything you see and read online.
Do your research, check official accounts and await confirmation that your team has definitely signed that new superstar BEFORE you get their name printed on the back of your shirt!
This article was updated in February 2025.
Not sure if the news you’re seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.
