Summer Transfer Window: 11 Moves That Will Decide 2013 European Titles

Despite FIFA's Financial Fair Play rules that are currently in effect, big names are going to moving during the summer in world football.

It's only March but transfer rumors are starting to heat up.

The summer is always a bit of confounding time for supporters. There is the excitement at the possibility of new players arriving. On the other hand, you worry that your club will lose some of its best players.

If you're fortunate enough to support one of Europe's elite clubs, it's usually a case of the latter.

One or two summer moves can represent significant intent. Just look at Real Madrid.

They had struggled in the Champions League, so they went out and broke the world record transfer fee twice, first bringing in Kaka for €60+ million and then Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million.

World football fans will probably never see a summer like that again, but there will still plenty of drama in the coming months.

Here are 11 summer moves that will significantly affect the competition in Europe.

Mario Gotze to Arsenal

Many supporters must be wondering if Arsene Wenger is simply being stubborn and refusing to spend money or if the board is not allowing him to use any potential transfer funds.

The Daily Mail reported that Arsenal is going to "break the bank" and lodge a £25 million bid for the teen sensation. The club's transfer record is only £15 million, which was the price of bringing in Andrey Arshavin in 2009.

Arsenal had been heavily linked to Eden Hazard but it looks like Gotze might have overtaken him.

The German midfielder would be a great fit for Arsenal. The club has yet to really replace the creativity that Samir Nasri possessed. Robin van Persie would benefit greatly from having a player like Gotze sitting right behind the striker.

A midfield that has Gotze, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey would be dangerous for years to come.

He has been hurt for the past couple of months, but the talent is clearly there.

Arsenal would be really smart to solidify any move before the Euros because Gotze's fee could skyrocket following the tournament.

Edinson Cavani to Manchester City

Edinson Cavani has been one of the more potent strikers in Europe over the past couple of seasons.

Anybody from England who didn't know about the Uruguayan found out about him in the first leg of Napoli's Champions League tie with Chelsea.

He has formed an exciting three-pronged attack at the Naples club with Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi. Unfortunately for Napoli supporters, this might be the last season this trio will be together.

If Napoli fail to qualify for the Champions League, it's going to be hard for the club to hang on to its best players.

Should Cavani move, one of the likeliest destinations is Manchester City. Despite already having Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero, the return of Carlos Tevez has shown how thin City is in the attack. If one of the three goes down, they're left with only two first-choice strikers.

Tevez's departure would buoy any City bid, which the Daily Mail reported could be close to £40 million.

Neymar to Barcelona/Real Madrid

Despite Neymar having signed a contract to remain with Santos until after the 2014 World Cup, no one really expects him to stay that long.

He might have angled for a move much sooner, but Santos was not going to let either he or Ganso move during the celebration of the club's centenary. Also, they wanted to see how they could compete with Barcelona in the Club World Cup.

Coincidentally, the Club World Cup might have been the convincing that Neymar needed in terms of moving away from Brazil.

After Santos were thrashed 4-0 by Barca, the Brazilian told Pep Guardiola to take him back to Barcelona.

A move to Spain, either with Barca or Real Madrid, seems in the cards.

Soccernet reported back in November that Madrid had agreed to a £53 million deal to bring in Neymar in the summer. However, the accuracy of that is debatable as the site was just as sure that Sergio Aguero was going to Chelsea.

Barcelona might have an ace in the hole with Ronaldinho. He's been telling Neymar about all the great things about Barca and really selling the club to the 20 year old.

Carlos Tevez to AC Milan

Although Carlos Tevez has come back into the fold at Manchester City, it's all just a marriage of convenience.

Tevez will get back to match fitness and him getting back on the pitch will help to increase his transfer value for City.

It's quite obvious that neither that the dislike between club and player is mutual. Right now, City are desperate to win the title so Roberto Mancini has welcomed him back to the first team.

One of the clubs he was heavily rumored to be going to was AC Milan in the January transfer window. Inter Milan threw their hat into the ring, too, but it's doubtful the club could afford him should they finish outside Champions League qualification.

Tevez was never one to ever look all that fit in the first place so it's up in the air how much all of the time he spent golfing really hurt his game and fitness.

Football fans in general should be rooting for this move as it would mean that Tevez, Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic would all be housed at one club.

That has drama written all over it.

Eden Hazard to Manchester United

Eden Hazard is going to leave Lille in the summer, it's just a matter of where he's going.

Recently Manchester United has emerged as a possibility. Sir Alex Ferguson was in person for Lille's 2-1 loss to Lyon on Saturday.

After hearing and/or seeing that Ferguson was in the stands, Hazard said, "But yes, it is a pleasure to be watched by one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best."

He would be a great fit at Old Trafford. The club has really lacked a creative midfielder this season. Paul Scholes has been great in his return, but he's 37 years old.

Hazard could be a natural replacement. He's played a lot as a winger, but he has experience  playing in an attacking midfield position.

The Belgian would come at a heavy cost. However, after staying quiet in most transfer windows, United showed last summer that they have some money to spend by bringing in Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea.

One thing that Premier League supporters will dread, though, is the never-ending Belgian waffle puns in English newspapers.

Yann M'Vila to Arsenal

Much like his Ligue 1 colleague, Eden Hazard, Yann M'Vila is going to be leaving France in the summer.

For a player like him, the most natural fit is England.

This move might be more pie in the sky, but Arsenal has never replaced Patrick Vieira in that defensive midfield role.

Alex Song has been OK, but he doesn't bring the kind of spine that Vieira did to midfield.

Many football experts believe that M'Vila is on the way to becoming the best defensive midfielder in the world.

The 21-year-old would be a great fit at the Emirates. M'Vila is a phenomenal tackler. He is also pretty adept at passing the ball for a defensive mid.

If Arsenal is to bring in Mario Gotze, then a potential move for the Frenchman becomes much more difficult. It's probably going to take a bid in the £25-30 million range.

Marco Reus to Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund announced this move back in January.

This represents a huge step for the reigning Bundesliga champions. Reus is one of the best young players in the league.

Normally a player like him would be headed to Bayern Munich. Instead, he chose to play for his hometown club, Dortmund.

Plus, this could help sway players like Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic to remain with the club. With this signing, the Dortmund board has shown that it is willing to spend cash to in order to compete with Bayern and in the Champions League.

More than likely Dortmund will lose their young players to either Bayern or other European clubs, but Marco Reus can help the club's window to succeed stay open a little while longer.

Javi Martinez to Manchester United

By the time summer rolls around, Manchester United will have had plenty first-hand knowledge of Javi Martinez.

He is a member of the Athletic Bilbao side that beat United 3-2 in Old Trafford.

It's been a great year for Martinez. Last summer he captained Spain to the European Under-21 Championship. Now he is helping Athletic Bilbao get close to Champions League qualification.

Should the Basque side qualify for Europe's biggest stage, he more than likely won't be on the move. But Bilbao sits seventh in the table so it is far from guaranteed.

The Spaniard has shown a lot of versatility under manager Marcelo Bielsa. He's been deployed as both a defensive midfielder and central defender.

Thiago Silva to Barcelona

Barcelona is looking for a replacement for Carles Puyol. And when you're a club like Barca, you try to replace a very good defender in Puyol with only the best central defender in the world, Thiago Silva.

If the Catalan club are overthrown in the league by Real Madrid, you can expect some changes to be made. They won't tolerate finishing second for another season.

Barca are going to push very hard for Silva. Although he has stated his desire to remain at AC Milan, he would surely be tempted by a move.

It looked like Silva was going to make the move last summer but instead he signed a contract extension through 2016.

If world football has shown us anything, though, it's that contracts are not worth the paper they're printed on.

Leandro Damiao to Tottenham

In order to try and keep manager Harry Redknapp from taking the England national team job, Tottenham is ready to supply him with £50 million this summer.

A significant chunk of that money could be spent on Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao.

Back in February, Damiao confirmed that Spurs made a bid, but he said that Paris Saint-Germain interested him a little more.

Unfortunately, PSG look to have their eyes on a different Brazilian striker, but more on that next.

Spurs could have a real problem at striker come the summer.

Emmanuel Adebayor has been pretty streaky all year and there are doubts he'll remain at White Hart Lane past this season as he is only on loan from Manchester City.

Jermain Defoe and Louis Saha are solid options, but if Spurs want to compete in Europe, they'll have to upgrade.

Damiao could really open the door for other South Americans to see Tottenham Hotspur as a serious destination, much like Carlos Tevez did for City.

Alexandre Pato to Paris Saint-Germain

Although Paris Saint-Germain has spent some serious money to become immediate contenders in Europe, the club has yet to really bring in an experienced name.

Javier Pastore arrived for a club record €42 million, but he wasn't an established star throughout Europe.

Alexandre Pato is that player.

Despite dating the owner's daugther, Pato has been having a difficult time lately at the San Siro.

PSG made a strong push for Pato in the January window but were rebuffed by AC Milan. Should Carlos Tevez sign for the Rossoneri during the summer, he would become much more expendable.

There is already a connection in Paris as the club is managed by Carlo Ancelotti, who coached the Brazilian at Milan.

Not to mention that PSG is in desperate need of a striker. Kevin Gameiro is a solid option, but behind him it gets pretty thin.

The Parisian club sits atop the Ligue 1 table and Champions League qualification looks likely. Signing Pato would be the next step in being taken seriously as a threat in Europe.