When does the January transfer window open and close across Europe?

Transfer deals and big-money moves capture the imagination of football fans around the world and the rumor mill really cranks into overdrive when the transfer windows open.

There are two windows each season in which clubs are permitted to get deals done and swap personnel, with the final hours of those windows often producing drama. During the summer period, teams restock and retool for the coming season, while in the winter clubs fill holes created by injuries or other urgent squad needs.

The winter transfer window of the 2021-22 season is coming up in January for the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 and clubs across Europe.

The winter window can often be hit or miss depending on the availability of players in that particular year. Sometimes it can be difficult to pry away a player from another club in January, especially if that player is in the midst of a productive season. But in other years there are team-changing bargains available.

This January window should see a host of big clubs that will be active. New managers at Tottenham and Manchester United may leave their mark during the window, and now deep-pocketed Newcastle will surely be reloading in an effort to avoid relegation.

Barcelona may be cash-strapped, but it will still be desperate to do everything it can to get into the La Liga top four, having already reportedly swooped for Ferran Torres. And AC Milan (Italy) and Sevilla (Spain) likely feel they're only a piece or two away from challenging for the league title.

Here is everything you need to know regarding this year's winter transfer window in January 2022...

When does the 2022 January transfer window open?

The 2022 January transfer window runs for the full month: It opens at the beginning of the month and closes at the end of January. However, the exact dates vary slightly from league to league.

In England, Premier League clubs will be able to complete transfer business for the entire month, from January 1, 2022 until the end of January 31, 2022. That time frame applies to all clubs in England, including the Championship, League One and League Two.

The January transfer window also opens on January 1, 2022 for clubs in Germany and France. But since January 1 falls on a Saturday, some leagues have chosen to change it up slightly. Things get started slightly later in Spain and Italy, with the transfer registration period in La Liga and Serie A opening on January 3, 2022, which is the first Monday of the month.

When does the 2022 January transfer window close?

January 31, 2022 is the closing date for the 2022 January transfer window in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

The registration period ends at 11 p.m. GMT in the UK, but every league can establish its own schedule.

Here are the January transfer window deadlines below:

How the winter transfer window works

The transfer window — officially known by world governing body FIFA as a 'registration period' — is a part of the football calendar during which clubs are able to complete the registration of players, including temporary loan deals.

Teams can theoretically execute a player transaction at any time, but they can only register and "activate" new players during the specific transfer window. For that reason, clubs mainly focus on acquiring players during the transfer window, otherwise they would have to wait for the next registration period to open before officially adding them to the roster.

This comes into play, for example, with Barcelona and free agent defender Dani Alves, who put pen to paper on a contract with Barcelona in November 2021, but he can only officially play in matches beginning January 3, 2022, when the transfer window (or registration period) opens in Spain.