Deadline day to provide answers

Paolo di Canio, Gaizka Mendieta and Adrian Mutu. Just three of the players whose futures are the subject of speculation as the mid-season transfer deadline for European club competitions approaches.

Midnight deadline
The end of January marks the close of football's winter sales. Midnight tonight is the deadline for those clubs looking to bolster their squads ahead of the February resumption of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Sparta busy
Of the Champions League clubs, none have been busier than AC Sparta Praha, who have sold six players and bought in five. Liverpool FC have swapped one forward, fans' favourite Robbie Fowler, for two others in Nicolas Anelka and Milan Baroš - and on Wednesday completed a deal for Portuguese defender Abel Xavier from their neighbours Everton FC.

Pursuit of Di Canio
But what of those deals which may yet happen? Manchester United FC's pursuit of Di Canio, one of the English season's most enduring soap operas, could run to the very wire. The English champions have already sold Andrew Cole and bought Diego Forlan but their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, remains keen to add Di Canio to his attacking options.

Middlesbrough interest
However, a move for the 33-year-old Di Canio appears to hinge on the departure of Trinidad and Tobago striker Dwight Yorke. Middlesbrough FC were keen to sign Yorke - and offered the player a deal worth close to €3.3m a year - but lost patience on Wednesday and declared the deal off following Yorke's refusal to accept the terms on offer.

'Derailed by Dwight'
An angry Ferguson had said the previous night: "I would like to sign Di Canio before the Champions League deadline but it has been derailed by Dwight Yorke's reluctance to move, or should I say his agent's reluctance?" West Ham United FC have reportedly turned down one offer for Di Canio already and are holding out for a sum in the region of €5.7m for the Italian.

Mendieta return mooted
In Italy, where the transfer dealine also expires today, Mendieta, captain of the Valencia CF side that reached the 2000 and 2001 Champions League finals, may be set to return to Spain from S.S. Lazio just six months after arriving in the Italian capital. The heartbeat of Héctor Cúper's Valencia side, Mendieta has been a shadow of that self in the Albiceleste of Lazio, where his confidence was drained by the Romans' early-season struggles, which included their Champions League elimination. Hence talk of a loan move to Athletic Club Bilbao in the Basque country of his birth.

'Objective for Athletic'
Although the San Mamés club declared on their website there was "no type of deal for the transfer of Lazio's Gaizka Mendieta", Mendieta's agent, Gines Carvajal, was less circumspect. "He is calm, but he is not happy [in Italy] and we shall see what happens," he said on Wednesday. "This will all be solved between today and tomorrow. Gaizka Mendieta was always an objective for Athletic Bilbao."

Camacho positive
The Spanish transfer window closes at 21.00CET today, shortly after the start of Bilbao's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Madrid CF. The prospect of a freshly focused Mendieta would please Spain coach José Antonio Camacho, who said: "Everything that provides motivated players for the national side has got to be positive."

Interest from Juventus
Then there is Hellas-Verona FC's Mutu, the object of interest from Juventus FC. The Turin club are seeking back-up for their main strike pairing of David Trezeguet and Alessandro del Piero. Marcelo Zalayeta may have been recalled from Sevilla FC yet Mutu remains a target given Marcelo Salas will miss the rest of the season with a cruciate injury.

Agent talks
Giovani Becali, Mutu's agent, said on Tuesday: "I can confirm that we are in talks with both clubs and we could have a result on Thursday afternoon." A summer move, however, looks more likely for Mutu, who has scored seven Serie A goals this season, and is contracted to Verona until 2003.

All to be decided
So will they stay or will they go? Is it all rumour or will these moves happen for real? We will know soon enough.