A list of ten huge deals that could be happening in the January transfer window.
10. Will Hughes – Derby County to Liverpool
The clamour for Hughes’ signature has been massive but so far Derby have been able to keep interested parties at arms length until now.
The 18-year-old is currently being monitored by several top flight clubs, but it is Liverpool who are thought to be leading the charge, though they will have to cough up at least £12m if they are to have any hope of bringing him on board.
Having first broken onto the scene in 2011, he firmly established himself within the Rams starting XI by making 38 appearances across all competitions and he has since continued with that same output this time around, featuring 14 times so far.
Brendan Rodgers has overhauled the majority of expensive flops from the previous regime and replaced them with an emphasis on youth and fresh legs. Hughes would fit in very well into this ethos and would most likely be given time to bed in and become acclimatised to how football works at a club like Liverpool.
He would be another link between the side’s midfield to provide a creative spark for the SAS strike partnership that has began the season so well.
9. Martin Skrtel – Liverpool to Napoli
It’s a surprise that the Slovakian didn’t actually make an exit from Anfield this summer after falling so spectacularly out of favour during the previous campaign.
Liverpool added heavily to their back line too, meaning he would have to work hard to prove his worth to the team. He’s gone some way to doing that already, but could still be on the move as former Liverpool boss Rafa Bentiez remains keen on bringing him to Napoli.
Benitez was the manager the brought the 28-year-old to Anfield from Zenit St Petersburg back in 2008 and he went on to establish himself as a first team regular under the Spaniard, and it has only been since Brendan Rodgers took over the his future has really come into question.
With the options available to Rodgers at the back, a tempting January bid from the Serie A hopefuls could provide him with some ample capital to distribute elsewhere amongst the squad.
8. Ander Herrera – Athletic Bilbao to Manchester United
United’s pursuit of the young midfielder over the summer seemed to come out of nowhere, but it got people pretty excited very quickly.
However, the move didn’t quite make it though after mystery lawyers and an unreasonably high release cause put a halt to proceedings. The Premier League champions have since said that they will up the ante in January in a bid to finally bring their man to the club.
David Moyes’ apparent need for more central assets may yet lead the Red Devils back to Herrera’s doorstep in the January period.
United have seen a slight resurgence in the fortunes of their strikers over the past fortnight and the manager is keen to add some more options to his midfield as the form of the likes of Anderson, Nani, Ashley Young and Shinji Kagawa continues to falter.
Herrera has been a staple part of the Bilbao side that has punched above their weight over the past two seasons and has carried on his influence into the new campaign, though in nine games in La Liga he has yet to find the back of the net or create an assist for any of his teammates.
It is a deal that is likely to go though, and many eyes will be on him to see how he fares in the Premier League.
7. Iker Casillas – Real Madrid to Manchester City
It has come as a surprise to many that the popular Casillas has failed to win his place back from Diego Lopez, but new coach Carlo Ancelotti has sought to keep the faith with the former number two and Saint Iker has now found himself in a position that he has never had to deal with before.
To his enormous credit he has retained an air of professionalism throughout the ordeal, and has generally impressed when called upon for the Champions League and the Copa Del Ray, but he is not one to take the situation lying down and has hinted that he may be ready to quit in order to save his place in the Spanish national team for next summer’s World Cup.
Arsenal were believed to be the frontrunners to prize him away from the Bernabeau, but having just offered a bumper new deal to Wojciech Szcz?sny a move for the Spaniard seems to be dead in the water.
However, Manchester City are in desperate need for some competition for Joe Hart. The England man has been in terrible form as of late and though Manuel Pellegrini has stuck with Costel Pantilimon, he is believed to be eager to link up with the 32-year-old once again.
6. Alexandre Pato – Corinthians to Arsenal/Tottenham
The former Brazilian wonder kid only returned to his homeland last January as Milan decided to move him on in order to accommodate Mario Balotelli’s big money arrival from Manchester City.
However, though he is still highly regarded on the world football stage he has not been able to truly settle into life back in South America and now Corinthians have even told the press that they are open to offers when the transfer window reopens.
The 24-year-old had reportedly knocked back an offer from Spurs on transfer deadline day in September, but is now believed to be mulling over a move to the Premier League as his career looks to be stalling again in Brazil.
Spurs are still interested in bringing him to White Heart Lane, but they are likely to face some serious competition from their rivals and neighbours Arsenal as they look to add some considerable weight to their own forward line.
Wenger wants another world class striker to line up alongside Olivier Giroud to be able to utilise the creativity of Mesut Ozil to it’s full potential.
5. Nicolas Gaitan – Benfica to Manchester United
Much like Bilbao’s Ander Herrera, a move for Gaitan would go a long way to solving some of David Moyes’ midfield problems at Old Trafford.
However, it could appear that Gaitan is the manager’s preferred choice and Herrera is the contingency plan as the manager hopes to beat the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea to the Argentine’s signature.
The 25-year-old was a key figure in the Portuguese club’s heartbreaking season that saw them finish second in the table behind Porto and runners up to Chelsea in the Europa League final and his performances have caught the attentions of a number of Premier League sides as well as severl other clubs across Europe.
The diminutive attacking midfielder was an instant hit with the Portuguese giants ever since joining up from Boca Juniors in 2010 and has gone on to make 145 appearances, and scoring 18 goals. His real talent lies in creating them too, having notched up 40 assists over the previous three campaigns.
He had originally knocked back all talk of a move over the summer, but he is now thought to be open to a move away from the Estadio De Luz in the new year.
4. Fernando Llorente – Juventus to Arsenal
The Spanish international had been a major target for a number of sides across Europe during his final year with Athletic Bilbao, with Spurs thought to be leading the pack for his services.
However, the irresistible lure of turning out for Serie A champions Juventus proved to great and he set off for Italy with some heavy expectations around his neck.
But since linking up with the Old Lady he’s struggled for game time, let alone goals, and question marks surrounding his future have already begun to surface. Intended to join forces with Carlos Tevez as the side’s new look strike force, he’s managed just nine appearances (mostly from the bench) across all competitions – a run that has yielded just two goals.
Arsene Wenger has been very keen on rescuing him from his Serie A nightmare as he seeks for a striker that can offer him a more quantifiable arial threat than Olivier Giroud can. And since he does not trust Nicklas Bendtner despite bringing him back into the fold, he has turned his attentions to the unhappy Llorente.
And furthermore, Llorente is keen for the move to happen in a bid to help his flailing hopes of making it to the World Cup.
3. Juan Mata – Chelsea to Paris Saint Germain
The Spaniard has been Chelsea’s player of the season for the previous two campaigns, but saw his future thrown into doubt following the arrival of Jose Mourinho with rumours of a move away following him all throughout the transfer window. Speculation was intensified after he was left out of the early season crunch encounters with Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Mourinho has preferred to go with new signing Andre Schurrle and the returning Kevin de Bruyne alongside Oscar and Eden Hazard behind the Blues lone striker, whilst the signing of Willian has also increased competition.
Mata had tried to deflect the speculation by insisting that his absence was down to injury, but Jose Mourinho has since confirmed that he is looking toward Oscar to take up Mata’s favoured role instead.
Big spending Paris Saint Germain have opened the door to the 25-year-old and will be able to offer him Champions League football as well as a likely streamline to success.
Should he fail to reassert himself into proceedings at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League could be set to lose another bright talent to an overseas league.
2. Leighton Baines – Everton to Manchester United
A move that could rumble on for an eternity. Talk started over the summer with Moyes leaving one club for the other and wanting to bring the 28-year-old with him.
However, several enquiries later and the transfer window slammed shut with Baines still very much an Everton player, though that hasn’t stopped talk of a return in the new year.
United have also been left unsure over the future of the veteran Patrice Evra, and having missed out on Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao, Moyes will go in hard for his former charge and is even considering sending Wilfred Zaha to Goodison Park in part exchange to sweeten any prospective deal.
Baines has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League since bursting onto the scene with Wigan Athletic and has even given Ashley Cole a run for his money in the national team too.
Moyes is still keen to make a positive change at Old Trafford and he will need all the help he can get from the players that he already knows. Baines would go a long way to helping the side become a force again, but they will have to convince him to leave his boyhood club.
1. Robert Lewandowski – Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea
Chelsea were perhaps not the most likely of destinations for the sought after Borussia man, but since Manchester United have distanced themselves from making a move for him then they have a great chance at finally being able to add a world class striker to their ranks.
The Polish hit man looked all set for an exit over the summer, but the former champions managed to fend off interest from both United and Champions League winners Bayern Munich to be able to keep him at the Westfallenstadion for another couple of months at least.
However, his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which will allow him to leave for nothing. Knowing that they have an incredibly valuable commodity on their hands they may decide to cash in on him in the new year rather than risk losing him for free next summer.
Chelsea are in desperate need of a regular goalscorer despite adding Samuel Eto’o to their ranks this summer, and they will be boosted by the knowledge that they will easily be able to afford the £7m price that has been quoted.