Serie A Transfer News: Battle for Balotelli as End to Transfer Window Approaches

The last few weeks in Serie A have shown that even the best sides have some room for improvement, and you can bet that a well-considered January acquisition would have a major effect on every team's chances of finishing high up the table.

The league, too, is in need of fresh blood, what with Wesley Sneijder and Alexandre Pato—two of Serie A's highest profile players, even if the pair had been under-performing for some time—both saying arrivederci in favour of pastures new. 

With only days to go, gossip is rife, but so too are concrete stories of negotiations and deals. So, here are some of the moves and rumours making the biggest noise on the peninsula. 

Juventus Lose Drogba to Galatasaray ...

Galataasaray have done a deal to sign 34-year-old Didier Drogba, beating Juventus to the Ivorian's signature. 

The big-spending Turkish outfit add Drogba to Wesley Sneijder, whom they signed from Inter earlier this month. 

In a statement via his management company, the former Chelsea hitman said that he was "looking forward to playing in the Champions League again, against the best clubs in Europe."

Though 34, Drogba is still in great shape and would add extra bite to almost any forward line, something Juventus certainly could have done with in the latter stages of the season—and the Champions League. 

... but Sign Nicolas Anelka from Shanghai Shenhua

The well-travelled Nicolas Anelka is set to add Juventus to his list of employers, as the Turin club has announced a loan deal for the French forward to bolster attacking options. 

In a successful career, the 33-year-old has played for many of Europe's highest profile clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea. 

On top of winning the Euros with France in 2000, the striker has won the Premier League and the FA Cup with both Arsenal and Chelsea, and the Champions League with Real Madrid, to name but a few of his accomplishments.

Juve will be hoping he still has the hunger to succeed as they close in on another Serie A title and a tilt at the final stages of the Champions League. 

The Battle for Balotelli

Reports in the Italian press say that Mario Balotelli has already told pals back home that he'll be moving to Milan this week, but that hasn't stopped Juventus from entering the bidding for the Manchester City badboy.

According to Italy's biggest selling sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport, and Britain's Sky Sports, Manchester City are negotiating a possible move for the precocious forward. The club want over £23 million for their man, with AC Milan having offered £20 million so far. 

AC Milan to Offer New Deal to Stephan El Shaarawy

After turning down €30 million from Napoli, reports here in Italy suggest that AC Milan are eager to tie down young star Stephan El Shaarawy. 

Currently on €800,000 a year until 2017, the Rossoneri are ready to up that sum in the hope of hanging on to their brightest prospect for years to come. 

Bologna Interested in Emiliano Viviano

Bologna might look to add Florentine shot-stopper Emiliano Viviano this January, after the 27-year-old has found form again at Florentina, where he's on loan from Palermo. 

Viviano knows Bologna well, having played for them for two seasons before making an ultimately unsuccessful move to Inter in 2011. Though his career has had its ups and downs, the keeper has plenty of experience, and enough quality to have been called up to the Italian national side on several occasions, making six appearances so far for the Azzurri. 

Roma Keen on Matej Vydra

Free-scoring Matej Vydra, who has 18 goals in 24 league appearances for Watford, where he is on loan from Udinese, might be offered a route back to Italy's top flight if the Italian papers are to be believed. 

AS Roma are reportedly keen on the young Czech forward, who has been attracting plenty of interest from clubs around Europe.

Palermo Interested in Milan Baroš

Despite being a few years away from the scrapheap at 31, it will be a shock to some to find that Milan Baroš is still actually playing football, and doing so quite well. The Czech forward has never fulfilled the potential that led Gérard Houllier to sign him for Liverpool back in 2002, but a decade on and he's banging away almost a goal every two games for Turkish giants Galatasaray. Apparently he's no longer in their plans, and Palermo are sniffing around the forward in the hope that he might show the rest of the struggling squad how it's done. This season the Sicilians have conceded twice as many as they've scored and sit second bottom in the table. 

Several Suitors for Mattia Cassani

Out of favour in Florence due largely to Vincenzo Montella's preference for a 3-5-2, Mattia Cassani is looking for a new club this January and has several interested. 

Before the winter break, former employers Sampdoria and Palermo were both said to be interested in the 31-year-old, but now, having seen Ivan Piris limp off against Catania, Roma are in the race as well. 

Pirlo Calls Lampard to Juventus

"Come to Juve" say the headlines in Italy, after Andrea Pirlo told a reporter that he'd love to see Frank Lampard play in Serie A.

"Judging from what I can see," said the midfield legend, "Lampard is still one of the best central midfielders in the world. If he wanted to play in Italy, I'd love to see him at Juventus."

The Turin giants already have one of the most fearsome midfields in the world, but having revived the mercurial talents of Pirlo in recent years, those in charge at the Bianconeri might just be wondering if they can do the same for the Englishman. 

Edinson Cavani out of Napoli?

Napoli's mercurial attacker is quite rightly Serie A's hottest property right now. 

Edinson Cavani has scored 17 in his last 12 games for the Partenopei and is ahead of even AC Milan's on-fire Stephan El Shaarawy for league goals this term. 

At only 25, the Uruguayan will only get better, and it surprised few when Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that he'd already said no to a €55 million offer.

He's unlikely to leave midseason, but expect plenty of gossip and perhaps a crazy money-bid from one of Europe's super-rich sides. 

Giuseppe Rossi to Fiorentina

Despite not being able to play until at least March, U.S.-born Giuseppe Rossi has had many suitors across Europe, and he should be a great addition for Vincenzo Montella's Fiorentina side. 

Viola fans will be hoping that Montella—once perhaps the deadliest attacker on the peninsula during his days up front with Francesco Totti at AS Roma—will be able to nurture and develop the undoubted talent that Rossi has not always been able to produce and control regularly. 

David Beckham to AC Milan

Lots of people fancied David Beckham to move to AC Milan for one last shot at the big-time, but reports coming out of Italy say it's not to be. Apparently, Becks sent some of his people to northern Italy to see if the Rossoneri would be interested in the 37-year-old, but the answer was no. 

Federico Peluso to Juventus

A shocking 1-2 home defeat to struggling Sampdoria was not exactly the debut Federico Peluso dreamed about, especially as he was not largely to blame for the Bianconeri's defensive frailties.

Antonio Conte will be hoping that the 28-year-old Roman can improve and make a worthwhile contribution to the Juventus-Scudetto challenge. 

Stevan Jovetic to Leave Fiorentina?

The arrival of Giuseppe Rossi at Fiorentina has raised plenty of eyebrows in Italy, because it casts a little doubt over the Viola future of Stevan Jovetic.

The immensely talented Montenegrin is being closely followed by Europe's top sides, while unsurprisingly, Juventus have long been tipped as a likely destination.

A Turin switch has been rubbished by the Florentines, but watch this space...

Roma Keen to Add Attacking Options

As Tallo Gadji moves the other way on loan, AS Roma's director of football Walter Sabatini went to Bari to discuss the transfer of Nicola Bellomo to the capital, most likely in the summer. 

One of the hottest young prospects in Italy, Bellomo can play as an attacking midfielder or a support striker, and given coach Zdenek Zeman's success with young forwards in the past, the Bari native is likely to be excited by the move. 

Inter are also interested, so this deal might have a twist in it yet. 

Tommaso Rocchi to Inter Milan

At 35, former Lazio stalwart Tommaso Rocchi might not be everyone's idea of a good signing, especially given the fact that Inter Milan are still intent on getting rid of the younger, better Wesley Sneijder.

But with almost a decade in the sky blue of S.S. Lazio, the Venetian certainly has lots of experience and is a proven—if not exactly explosive—goal scorer. 

Alexander Merkel to Udinese

Given the fact that he's one of the most highly rated young talents in Italy, Alexander Merkel's move from Genoa to Udinese has surprised a few people.

The 20-year-old German had been co-owned between Genoa and AC Milan, but he moved to the Stadio Friuli with a five-year contract to hook up with Francesco Guidolin's side.

The Udine side has underperformed and underwhelmed this season, but with Guidolin's eye for young talent and ability to create world-class players out of raw ability, it seems like a good move for the up-and-coming Kazakhstani-born star. 

Angelo Ogbonna to Leave Torino

Another of Serie A's hottest young talents, Angelo Ogbonna, has been tipped for a move from Turin's smaller side for some time now.

A move to Manchester United reportedly fell through late last year after surgery on a hernia, but having been impressive for Torino for years now, the young Italian has won senior international experience and seems destined for one of the game's biggest sides.