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Power Ranking January's 20 Hottest Transfer Rumours: Julian Draxler to Arsenal?

Allan Jiang
Nov 21, 2013

Bleacher Report presents a power ranking of January's 20 hottest transfer rumours.

What has Schalke's Julian Draxler done to trigger a potential move to Arsenal? Isย Andres Iniesta set to stay atย Barcelona? Which German club is chasingย Diego Costa? What does Manchester United have to give up to signย Borussia Dortmund'sย Marco Reus?

Feel free to comment below.ย 

Konstantinos Mitroglou

1 of 20

Olympiacos strikerย Konstantinos Mitroglou is an Inter Milan transfer target, according to SportMediaset via Football Italia.ย 

Mitroglou, who averages aย Josef Bican-esque 1.3 goals per game, is attracting widespread attention due to hisย phenomenalย goal scoring this season.ย 

Whenย Kevin Mirallas was in the Greek Super League, he scored 20 goals in 25 games.

Upon moving to Everton, he has scored six times in 38 league games.ย 

So, keep that in mind when you evaluateย Mitroglou's goals.ย 

Mitroglou to Inter?ย Unlikely.ย 

The club don't anyย problems in the No. 9 position becauseย Rodrigo Palacio has scored seven times and created four goals in 12 league games.ย 

Tim Cahill

2 of 20

New York Red Bulls andย Socceroo strikerย Tim Cahill is open to a loan move in January, a scenario dependent on how his body.ย 

"In the last loan period, three or four clubs came in and one was really close to signing me,"ย Cahill said, viaย Tom Barclay at The Sun. "It was from the Premier League and it went all the way up to the wire."

Cahill added:

"

I'm definitely going to get a lot of shouts again now and there will always be people knocking at the door.ย But I have to assess where my bodyโ€™s going to be for the next World Cup for Australia and also my fitness leading in Brazil.

"

Maybe an impact sub role forย Everton?

Anderson

3 of 20

Manchester United midfielderย Anderson will be loaned toย Fulham for match fitness, according toย Charles Perrin at The Express.ย 

Anderson needs to go to a club that is willing to play him in his natural position, No. 10, not as a defensive midfielder or as a box-to-box midfielder.ย 

Fulham have two blue-collar midfielders inย Scott Parker andย Steve Sidwell, so the chances of Anderson winning a starting position are slim.ย 

John Guidetti

4 of 20

Feyenoord are thinking of signingย Manchester City striker John Guidetti, according toย Gerrit van Leeuwen at Sky Sports.ย 

Guidetti, who scored 20 goals in 23 games on loan atย Feyenoord during the 2011-12 season, is fighting his way back from a debilitating illness.ย 

Feyenoord's current No. 9,ย Graziano Pelle, has netted 37 league goals in 40 league games since joining the club in 2012, so whileย Guidetti lovesย Feyenoord, he needs to find a club where he is assured of a starting spot.ย 

Edin Dzeko

5 of 20

Arsenal will targetย Manchester City'sย Edin Dzeko as cover forย Olivier Giroud, according toย Jamie Sanderson at The Metro.ย 

OK, soย Dzeko's problem of not being a first-choice striker at City will be solved by being the backup to Giroud? Right?ย 

That makes no sense.ย 

Mattia De Sciglio

6 of 20

Arsenal are tracking AC Milan'sย Mattia De Sciglio, who can play right and left-back, as a potential successor toย Bacary Sagna, according to talkSPORT.ย 

De Sciglio only returned to training last month after injury, so a January transfer is out of the question.

Milan are going young and whileย Ignazio Abate is holding down the right-back position, the club are not likely to relinquish such a great prospect likeย De Sciglio.ย 

Nani

7 of 20

Juventus are looking to gamble on Manchester United wingerย Nani, according to talkSPORT.ย 

Juve play with wing-backs, so signingย Nani is bizarre because he does not have the defensive prowess toย fulfillย what Antonio Conte seeks in his players.ย 

Nani has yet to score or create a goal in the Premierย Leagueย thisย season.ย 

Leighton Baines

8 of 20

David Moyes will need to spend ยฃ20 million to bring former Everton player Leighton Baines to Manchester United, according to David Wright at The Daily Star.ย 

Surely the poor form ofย Marouane Fellaini, one of Moyes' boys atย Everton,ย will serve as a reminder to Moyes to let it be when it comes to buying former players.ย 

Ifย Moyes wants a replacement forย Patrice Evra, why buyย Bainesย  whenย Alexander Buttner can step in?ย 

Kevin De Bruyne

9 of 20

Chelsea outcastย Kevin De Bruyne could be moving toย Atletico Madrid in January, according toย HLNBE via Paulย Gorst at The Mirror.ย 

De Bruyne's compatriot and Chelsea teammateย Eden Hazard has imploredย De Bruyne to leave.ย 

"If we want to get the best out of Kevin, I think that it's best if he leaves,"ย De Bruyne said, from VRT via The Guardian. "For sure, playing at a World Cup without having been in action for a year, I think that's very difficult."

Atleti play a compact 4-4-2, so it doesn't work toย De Bruyne's advantage, who spent most of last season atย Werder Bremen in a centre attacking midfield position.ย 

Salomon Kalou

10 of 20

Roma will try and signย Salomon Kalou from Lille, according toย Nick Lustig at The Daily Star.ย 

Kalou worked under current Roma managerย Rudi Garcia atย Lille leading to 16 goals and six assists in 37 games.ย 

Shouldย Kalou join Roma, he will be competing with Adem Ljajic,ย Alessandro Florenzi andย Gervinho for a wide forward role.ย 

Willย Kalou be willing to give up aย guaranteedย starting spot atย Lille?ย 

Moussa Dembele

11 of 20

Moussa Dembele is frustrated atย Tottenham Hotspur and will force a transfer away, according toย Darren Lewis at The Mirror.ย 

"The coach [Andre Villas-Boas] has explained that he makes a tactical choice, he wants more defensive players in midfield," Dembele said. "I can't be satisfied with it, of course, I just want to play as many games."

Dembele has started eight league games and four UEFA Europa League games, so what is his problem?

Either he has been misquoted or he has yet to fully explain his grievances withย Villas-Boas.

If the latter is an option,ย Dembele should be doing it behind close doors.ย 

Stephan El Shaarawy

12 of 20

Roberto La Florio, the agent of AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy, said a move toย Galatasaray wouldn't be ruled out.ย 

"If Galatasaray are interested then obviously we would consider any offers made,"ย La Florio said, fromย Radyospor viaย Ben Jefferson at The Express. "However, for the time being El Shaarway is keen to continue at AC Milan."

El Shaarawy has a high ceiling for success, soย Milan won't entertain offers unless it is an astronomically inflated bid.ย 

Ramires

13 of 20

Barcelona are targeting Chelsea midfielderย Ramires, according toย John Cross at The Mirror.ย 

Ramires embodies whatย Jose Mourinho sees in a midfielder: box-to-box running, determination, strong tackling.ย 

Frank Lampard andย John Obi Mikel don't have all of the aforementioned traits, so it would be inexplicable forย Mourinho to let go ofย Ramires.ย 

Blaise Matuidi

14 of 20

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi has yet to agree a contract extension and has become a prime transfer target for major Premier League clubs, according toย Ben Burrows at The Mirror.ย 

Matuidi is a pivotal player in PSG's midfield, winning back the ball 61 times in 13 league games.

Chelsea, a team using Frank Lampard as a defensive midfielder, should be chasingย Matuidi's signature.

Sergio Aguero

15 of 20

Manchester City strikerย Sergio Aguero continues to be a pie-in-the-sky transfer target forย Barcelona, according toย Ben Jefferson at The Express.ย 

City have made the UEFA Champions League knock out stages for the first time in theย Sheikh Mansour era.

Money isn't an issue for City andย Aguero is paidย handsomelyย to be one of the best No. 9s in the world.

This rumour isย absurd.ย 

Xabi Alonso

16 of 20

Real Madrid midfielderย Xabi Alonso will extend his contract thus ending a potential move back to the Premier League, according toย Tom Conn at Inside Spanish Football. ย 

Though, Football Espana is reporting thatย Alonso is not pleased details of his contractual commitments to Real have been leaked:

"

TVE has revealed that the 32-year-old is demanding โ‚ฌ7.5 million-a-year while ABC puts the figure at โ‚ฌ5 million, something that is believed to have upset the player, who naturally guards his privacy in such matters.

The Spanish giants tried to tie Alonso down to new contract last year, but the player decided against it on a sporting level as he had been suffering from a painful groin injury for some time.

"

Marco Reus

17 of 20

Manchester United are seeking a trade that sees Shinji Kagawa go back to Borussia Dortmund and Marco Reus to United,ย according toย James Ducker at The Times.ย 

Unless United offerย Kagawa and money, the deal is disadvantageous toย Dortmund asย Reus is in-form (seven goals and five assists in league-play) whileย Kagawa is playing on the left and acting as a second left-back.ย 

Diego Costa

18 of 20

Noย Robert Lewandowski? Don't worry,ย Borussia Dortmund will replace him withย Diego Costa ofย Atletico Madrid, if you are to believeย Richard Arrowsmith at The Daily Mail.ย 

The factย Costa wants to turn his back on Brazil to be a Spaniardย shows the amount of love he has for Spain, so him leaving the nation doesn't add up.ย 

Andres Iniesta

19 of 20

Manchester United will attempt to lureย Barcelona starย Andres Iniesta to the Premier League as his contract negotiation with Barca stalls, according toย Ben Burrows at The Mirror.ย 

However,ย Guillem Balague at Sky Sports saysย Iniesta, a one-club man, prefers to stay at Barca:

"

But before you get all excited, I have to tell you that Iniesta is not listening to offers from anybody.

Barcelona are very confident it [contract renewal] is going to happen and they insist it will take place before Christmas.

"

Julian Draxler

20 of 20

Schalke'sย Julian Draxler is interested in joiningย Arsenal, according toย Jeremy Wilson at The Telegraph.

"I have always said English teams are very big clubs and Arsenal is of course one of them,"ย Draxler said. "You never know what happens in the summer but Arsenal is a very, very nice team."

Draxler is speaking out of turn, so it is clear his relationship withย Schalke is strained.ย 

He has now opened aย Pandora's box where he will be linked with the Gunners until he signs a new contract staying withย Schalke.

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