January Transfer Window: 10 Biggest Names Likely to Be on the Move
The Premier League transfer window only closed last week, but some of football’s biggest names, including Marco Reus, Juan Mata and Kevin Strootman, could all soon be on the move when it reopens in January.
The Premier League’s 20 clubs spent a record £835 million between them during the summer, but they are already planning who to purchase in four months' time.
These 10 players have been selected on the basis of how likely they are to move in and out of the Premier League in January, the size of the transfer fee they would command and the impact they should have at their potential new club.
Kevin Strootman
1 of 10
Manchester United might have spent an estimated £150 million in the transfer market this summer, but there remains a hole in the centre of their midfield.
As David McDonnell of the Mirror reports, Louis van Gaal is keen to fill that hole with his compatriot Kevin Strootman, who could be willing to make the move from Roma for around £25 million in January.
Van Gaal is a huge admirer of Strootman after working with him for the Dutch national team and knows he would immediately improve his midfield.
Marco Reus
2 of 10
German international winger Marco Reus would be a prize capture for any of Europe’s leading clubs.
As Anthony Chapman reports in the Express, Reus has a release clause in his contract of a mere £20 million, which can be activated next summer.
Borussia Dortmund might not wait until then and seek to receive a higher transfer fee in the January transfer window.
Juan Mata
3 of 10
As I wrote earlier this week, Juan Mata could now be the odd man out at Manchester United this season.
The signings of Ander Herrera, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria have made the Spaniard’s place look vulnerable under Louis van Gaal.
By January, Mata could have grown tired of watching games from the bench and be looking to move only a year after he arrived at Old Trafford.
Xherdan Shaqiri
4 of 10
Liverpool already boast an abundance of quick and technical attacking players but were keen to add another in Bayern Munich’s Xherdan Shaqiri.
As reported in The Daily Telegraph, the Swiss playmaker said, ““Liverpool made a bid for me before the World Cup but Bayern put their foot down and told me, ‘We’re not going to sell you.'"
But since moving to Munich in 2012, he hasn’t established himself as a regular, and so Liverpool might be tempted to bid again in January.
William Carvalho
5 of 10
When the transfer window closed at the start of last week, it came as a surprise that William Carvalho was still at Sporting Lisbon.
As Ian Herbert of The Independent reported, the Portuguese international had drawn real interest from both Manchester United and Arsenal.
The 22-year-old midfielder has all the attributes to be one of the world’s best in his position and is keen to graduate from the Portuguese league.
Jay Rodriguez
6 of 10
After surprisingly allowing Alvaro Negredo to join Valencia on loan this season, there remains a vacancy in Manchester City’s stable of strikers.
Alan Nixon of The Sun has reported that City could be interested in bringing Jay Rodriguez to the Etihad Stadium.
The England striker is currently recovering from a knee injury, but if he regains his form by January, he could be an option for the champions.
Mats Hummels
7 of 10
It isn’t hard to understand why Borussia Dortmund were so reluctant to let Mats Hummels leave after he proved he was of the world’s leading defenders at the World Cup in Brazil this summer.
As Miguel Delaney reports on ESPN.co.uk, Hummels was a target for Manchester United throughout the summer and even made a late enquiry to take him to Old Trafford when Shinji Kagawa moved in the other direction to Dortmund.
If the United defence continues to creak, they could return to Dortmund with a bigger offer they might not be able to refuse in January.
Morgan Schneiderlin
8 of 10
During the summer it appeared likely Morgan Schneiderlin would join the great Southampton exodus that saw Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers all leave the club.
However, Southampton stood firm and refused to allow him to leave, sparking an angry response from the player on Twitter, who said (via Simon Jones of The Daily Mail), “6 years of an amazing journey destroyed in 1 hour.”
As the aforementioned article points out, Tottenham were the club most interested in luring the French midfielder away from Southampton, and his former manager Mauricio Pochettino could still be interested in taking him to White Hart Lane.
Marouane Fellaini
9 of 10
If Belgian international Marouane Fellaini was not currently injured, he would almost certainly have already left Manchester United during the summer.
Since arriving at Old Trafford for £27 million last summer, Fellaini has been an unmitigated disaster and has failed to prove his worth.
As Ian Herbert of The Independent reported, Napoli had retained an interest in the midfielder, and so once he regains his fitness, the Italian club could return with an offer.
Jermain Defoe
10 of 10
Jermain Defoe's move to Toronto FC always seemed premature and rather strange, and after only six months it appears as though the England striker regrets the move.
As Ashley Clements at Mail Online reports, Defoe was close to joining Queens Park Rangers during the summer, and as their manager Harry Redknapp told talkSPORT (via Mail Online), he remains confident of still signing him.
"There is every chance he will come in January. I'm a big fan of Jermain's. Almost certainly, I think we will [go back in for him]. I've signed him so many times. I've taken him everywhere."
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