Power Ranking January's 20 Hottest Transfer Rumours: Plot to Sell Lionel Messi
Bleacher Report presents a power ranking of January's 20 hottest transfer rumours.
So, how will these 20 January transfer window rumours be ranked? The rumours will be ranked according to name recognition.
The less identifiable the rumoured player is, the lower the rumour will be ranked and vice versa.
20. Ruben Bentancourt
1 of 20PSV Eindhoven prospect Ruben Bentancourt is seeking a move to Italy, according to Eindhovens Dagblad via a tweet from @football_oranje.
Bentancourt is currently playing for Jong PSV, the reserve team of PSV, and has only scored once from 15 games.
He was predominantly a bench warmer in Uruguay's run to the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup final.
Serie B club Bari should be an option for Bentancourt as his adjustment to life in Italy can be made smoother by the club's two Uruguayans (Diego Polenta and Matias Alonso).
Don't hold it against Bentancourt if he does not end up making the grade at PSV.
Eidur Gudjohnsen didn't and he went on to play for Chelsea and Barcelona.
19. Tiago Ilori
2 of 20
Sporting Lisbon have confirmed a loan deal to bring Tiago Ilori back to the club is on if Liverpool say yes, according to Sky Sports.
A Sporting Lisbon source told Sky Sports: "We have decided to study this subject but it depends on the Reds and formally we have not received any communication."
With Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Agger, Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel ahead of Ilori, he should consider a loan away from the Reds.
18. Maicosuel
3 of 20
Udinese attacking midfielder Maicosuel is being tracked by Corinthians, according to Tutto Udinese via Marco Gori at Transfer Market Web.
Maicosuel is infamous for attempting a Panenka in a penalty shootout against Braga during the UEFA Champions League qualifiers last August.
Failing to convert that penalty ended up costing Udinese a Champions League place and since then, he has only scored twice for the club.
Moving to a new club may reboot his career.
17. Jorginho
4 of 20
Zenit Saint Petersburg are the latest club interested in signing Verona centre midfielder Jorginho, according to Corriere del Veneto via Inside Futbol.
Jorginho is tidy in possession but would he have popped up on the radar of most major European clubs if he did not have seven league goals to his name? No.
He is arguably the best penalty taker in Serie A right now, having already netted five penalties, but it gives the false impression of his playing style.
He is a pass-first midfielder who controls the tempo for his team, so unless he receives 20 penalties a season, he isn't going to be a dependable source for goals.
16. Eduardo Vargas
5 of 20
Napoli's Gremio loanee Eduardo Vargas could be headed to Santos, according to Michael Burton at Samba Foot.
Arriving at Napoli amid great fanfare, Vargas' hat-trick against AIK in the UEFA Europa League was the only match that he lived up to the hype.
With Jose Callejon operating on the right while Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens compete for the left attacking midfield role, it appears Vargas does not have a future at Napoli.
Being loaned out to Gremio and potentially Santos are indicators that Napoli are shopping Vargas around because if they wanted to develop him, he would have been loaned out to a minor Serie A club such as Sassuolo.
15. Radja Nainggolan
6 of 20
Juventus' proposed offer for Cagliari box-to-box midfielder Radja Nainggolan is in limbo after Juve failed to reach the Round of 16.
A condition of the bid was Juve making the Champions League knockout stages, according to Gazzetta dello Sport via Joe Pagnelli at Vavel.
With Andrea Pirlo out due to a knee ligament injury, the Bianconeri are short of an elite backup if either Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba or Claudio Marchisio suffer a medium or long-term injury.
Nainggolan is an all-action midfielder who fits right into Antonio Conte's philosophy of working hard.
14. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov
7 of 20
Rubin Kazan are in position to sign Spartak Moscow's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, according to talkSPORT.
The career of Bilyaletdinov, a former Everton player, is filled with one pertinent "what if."
What if Everton didn't buy Bilyaletdinov? It may have saved his career from nose diving.
13. John Heitinga
8 of 20
John Heitinga would relish a move to Italy, according to his agent Rob Jansen.
"There is a good chance Everton will sell in January and we are evaluating several opportunities," Jansen said, from Calcio Mercato via Forza Italian Football. "Johnny [Heitinga] would like to play in Italy, but for the moment I haven't had official contact with Fiorentina or Napoli."
Jansen's revelation contradicts the report from La Nazione via Football Italia which stated Heitinga to Fiorentina "already reached a basic agreement."
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has preferred a Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin partnership which is why Heitinga has been a peripheral figure.
12. Mohamed Diame
9 of 20
Liverpool are considering West Ham United's box-to-box midfielder Mohamed Diame, according to Hugh Southon at Sports Direct News.
Diame's defensive pressure (41 tackles this season) has never been questioned, it's what he does with the ball where his main faults are.
He has only scored once from 34 shots and his pass-completion percentage (78.1) is below the Liverpool average (84.6).
11. Nicolas Otamendi
10 of 20
Porto manager Paulo Fonseca did not confirm or deny the club agreeing to sell Nicolas Otamendi to Monaco for £17.5 million.
Fonseca said, via talkSPORT: "On Otamendi there is nothing to report except that I am counting on him and he is in the squad for our matches."
Monaco's centre-back pairing of Eric Abidal and Ricardo Carvalho are a crucial part in the club having the third-best defence in Ligue 1.
So, signing Otamendi is not a necessity.
10. Jeremy Menez
11 of 20
Inter Milan and Juventus are the two main clubs in the running for the signature of Paris Saint-Germain's Jeremy Menez, according to L'Equipe via Football Italia.
Menez has had a troubled spell with PSG, so him leaving the club was an inevitability.
Juve should continue with the Fernando Llorente-Carlos Tevez partnership.
They have Fabio Quagliarella and Mirko Vucinic as reserves, so this means Menez to Juve is a tenuous link at best because he's not required there.
Menez is a fantastic talent but he is not a marquee name.
Will Inter Milan president Erick Thohir make a big impression by signing Menez? Probably not.
Like with Juve, Inter do not need Menez with Ricardo Alvarez and Rodrigo Palacio combining to score 13 goals while registering 10 assists.
9. Kevin De Bruyne
12 of 20
Wolfsburg are examining the possibility of taking Chelsea's Kevin De Bruyne on loan, according to Kicker via Danny Griffiths at The Metro.
While De Bruyne has played out wide, his best position is as a No. 10 and Wolfsburg don't need a centre attacking midfielder.
Maximilian Arnold has scored several times in a deep-lying forward position and will take over from Diego, who could be moving to Santos.
If Arnold gets injured, then a rising star like Federico Palacios Martinez, who has scored 29 times in 14 league games for the U-19s, could be used in the same role as Arnold.
8. Erik Lamela
13 of 20
Tottenham Hotspur might loan Erik Lamela to Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, according to Ben Jefferson at The Express.
If Lamela has yet to play his best for Tottenham Hotspur, his chances of being a consistent starter at Atleti—one of the best clubs in Europe right now—are slim.
Spurs need to persist with Lamela because his first season with Roma was average.
In his second season for Roma, he improved his scoring output by 11 league goals.
7. Stevan Jovetic
14 of 20
Roma and Inter Milan are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City's Stevan Jovetic on loan but City will reject all loan requests, according to Simon Mullock at The Mirror.
Jovetic scored a brace against Wigan Athletic in the League Cup, so it's not like he has given City supporters no glimpses of class.
Be fair and give Jovetic leeway because he's been injury-prone this season.
6. Micah Richards
15 of 20
AC Milan are monitoring the situation of Manchester City right-back Micah Richards and could make a move for the England international, according to Il Giorno via Inside Futbol.
Milan, a club founded by Englishman Herbert Kilpin, have had English players in the past such as David Beckham, Luther Blissett, Jimmy Greaves, Mark Hateley and Ray Wilkins, but buying Richards would still be a surprising transfer.
Why?
The majority of top-flight English footballers stay in the Premier League, so if Richards wants to leave City, signing with Arsenal or Chelsea is more probable than Milan.
5. Thomas Vermaelen
16 of 20
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes Thomas Vermaelen will not force a move away from the club in the January transfer window.
Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have left Vermaelen on the outside looking in.
Vermaelen should be worried about his limited playing time at Arsenal (one Premier League start this season) heading into a FIFA World Cup year for Belgium.
"It's tough to leave Vermaelen out because of his quality, his attitude and his influence at the club," Wenger said, via Sky Sports. "I'm not concerned that he might move in January because if he wants to do that he will come and see me, which he has not done."
4. David Luiz
17 of 20
Barcelona are preparing a £29 million bid to sign Chelsea centre-back David Luiz in the January transfer window, according to Nick Lustig at The Daily Star.
For the umpteenth time, Luiz is going to Barca.
If Barca want a defender who is up and down in terms of performance, Luiz is their man.
Chelsea fans have been waiting since 2011 to see Luiz put in world-class performances weekly but it has not happened and it does not seem like it will happen.
3. Angel Di Maria
18 of 20
Real Madrid have agreed to sell Angel Di Maria to Monaco for €35 million, according to Veronica Brunati at Marca.
Real manager Carlo Ancelotti says Di Maria leaving the club in the January transfer window is not a possibility.
"He's [Di Maria is] a very important player for this team," Ancelotti said, via Marca. "From a tactical point of view his departure isn't possible right now."
Monaco manager Claudio Ranieri confirmed his admiration for Di Maria but denied the Argentine international would be joining the club in January.
"Indeed, he is a player I am interested in," Ranieri said, via Patrick Haond at Sky Sports. "But I don't think he will join us. It is just rumours."
Di Maria has been replaced on the right wing by Gareth Bale.
There is one glaring problem for Di Maria if he moves to Monaco.
James Rodriguez, a world-class player, and Lucas Ocampos, a superb prospect, are competing for the right-wing spot.
If Di Maria is unhappy at not being the main option at Real, he won't be the main option at Monaco either.
2. Samuel Eto'o
19 of 20
Samuel Eto'o is not looking to extend his expiring contract at Chelsea and is eyeing a move to the MLS, according to Dominic Fifield at The Guardian.
Eto'o signed a one-year deal at Chelsea as a stop-gap option.
While he has not replicated his Barcelona performances, Eto'o has been serviceable, scoring four goals this season.
He is smart about his money, so he should seriously consider DC United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo and Seattle Sounders, MLS teams that reside in states with no income tax.
1. Lionel Messi
20 of 20Barcelona president Sandro Rosell will force Lionel Messi out of the club, according to Spanish football expert Graham Hunter.
In an interview with talkSPORT's Hawksbee and Jacobs, Hunter said:
"Sandro Rosell is greatly involved in vanity projects, hence the signing of Neymar.
My fear is that he [Rosell] will attempt to drive Lionel Messi out of the club and put him in a position where he can sell him, the process is moving towards that.
Messi isn't his beauty project, while Neymar is.
"
Hunter, a respected Spanish football writer, would not say something this outlandish without inside sources.
Here is something to consider: there is a trend in Barca's history of selling their most valuable player.
1961: Luis Suarez Miramontes to Inter Milan
1984: Diego Maradona to Napoli
1997: Ronaldo Luis to Inter Milan
2000: Luis Figo to Real Madrid
Rosell better not screw over Barca by selling Messi.
Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Transfermarkt.
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