Ranking the Week's 25 Hottest Transfer Rumours
Instead of scouring the internet for the latest football transfer gossip, Bleacher Report makes your life easier by providing you a weekly power ranking of the 25 hottest transfer rumours in one slideshow.
Whether it is the Bundesliga, Eredivisie, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Serie A, alternative European leagues, or non-European leagues, this slideshow will be inclusive.
These 25 players will be subjectively ranked via a combination of several standards:
- Career accomplishments.
- Name recognition.
- Transfer interest.
25. Awer Mabil
1 of 25
Adelaide United manager Josep Gombau is hesitant in letting Australian right/left winger Awer Mabil, 19, leave for Ajax.
"This is true, Ajax and another club contacted us [asking] to send him [Mabil] on a trial," Gombau said, per Omnisport (h/t SBS). "You cannot go to Europe if you are not an important player here, if you are not one of the best in the league."
Mabil is speedy, technically skilful and loves to take on opposing players.
But he needs to work on his decision making and his composure in front of goal.
He is way too raw for Ajax.
Yes, he has talent, but so do the myriad of Australians 23 years or younger playing abroad.
Mabil is receiving playing time, has a support system at Adelaide and is learning under a genius manager in Gombau (tactically brilliant having coached at Barcelona).
Mabil, please don't emulate Kwame Yeboah.
24. Riccardo Saponara
2 of 25
AC Milan's Italian central midfielder Riccardo Saponara, 22, is being targeted by Fiorentina and Parma, per TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t Football Italia).
Even though Milan were defeated 2-0 by Palermo, Saponara made a positive impression, completing 65 passes as a central midfielder positioned on the left-side.
Recently, Milan have cut bait on prospects such as Alex Pontons Paz, Bryan Cristante, Kingsley Boateng, et al.
23. Teofilo Gutierrez
3 of 25
River Plate's Colombian centre-forward Teofilo Gutierrez, 29, is a No. 9 transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, per John Cross at the Mirror.
Gutierrez has generally been a live wire when he has appeared for the Colombian national team.
He is a talented player, but there are more cons than pros to signing him:
- Limited upside as a 29-year-old.
- Failed in his last foray into Europe (Trabzonspor; lasted a season).
- Has character issues having pulled an air gun on his teammates while playing at Racing Club, per Ed Malyon at Sports Illustrated.
22. Vlad Chiriches
4 of 25
Tottenham Hotspur's Romanian centre-back Vlad Chiriches, 24, could move to either Inter Milan or Juventus, per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.
Chiriches is the Romanian David Luiz: has the traits to dominate opposing centre-forwards. However, low concentration levels lead to positional mistakes, hence why Chiriches is not a regular starter for Spurs.
Has Chiriches ever thought about converting into a box-to-box midfielder?
21. Winston Reid
5 of 25
West Ham United's New Zealand centre-back Winston Reid, 26, will turn down a €95,893/£75,000-per-week valued contract renewal, per Andrew Dillon at The Sun.
Reid needs to evaluate his options carefully, because West Ham have been outstanding in recent transfer windows.
Unless he will receive a better offer from a bigger European club, he should be wary of elongating the situation.
Yes, he is a solid centre-back.
But West Ham can hypothetically replace him with Nantes centre-back Papy Djilobodji, who could be a cheaper alternative.
Djilobodji is a main factor why Nantes have the best defensive record (tied with Paris Saint-Germain) in Ligue 1 this season (eight goals conceded from 12 games).
20. Joel Campbell
6 of 25
Arsenal's Costa Rican centre-forward/left attacking midfielder Joel Campbell, 22, wants to leave in the January transfer window, per John Cross at the Mirror.
Campbell has only played a combined 53 minutes in Premier League/UEFA Champions League play for Arsenal this season.
Since playing in Europe for Arsenal, Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos, Campbell has yet to score 15 league goals or more in one campaign.
19. Mario Suarez
7 of 25
Atletico Madrid's Spanish central midfielder Mario Suarez, 27, will be pursued by Napoli in the January transfer window, per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.
Suarez has not been a security blanket for Atleti, like in the 3-2 defeat to Olympiakos.
His proposed move to Napoli hinges on the future of Rafa Benitez.
After a tough start to the season (two defeats in opening three games), Napoli are unbeaten in their last seven Serie A games.
As long as Benitez stays, then Suarez is a viable option to be added to the emerging Spanish clique at Napoli.
18. Bruno Martins Indi
8 of 25
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is preparing a €12.8/£10 million bid for Porto's Dutch centre-back Bruno Martins Indi, 22, per Neil Custis at The Sun.
Porto are not looking to make a marginal profit with Indi.
Having sold Eliaquim Mangala to Manchester City for €40.8/£32 million, Porto will hold on to Indi until a substantial bid is lodged.
17. Divock Origi
9 of 25
Lille manager Rene Girard has categorically ruled out Liverpool cutting Divock Origi's loan short.
"They have failed to score at Liverpool? Us too. We need him [Origi] a lot," Girard said, per RTBF (h/t the Metro). "It was agreed [with Liverpool] that Divock would stay the year with us."
| League Only | Divock Origi | Mario Balotelli |
| Goals/Games | 3/10 | 0/8 |
| Goals Per Game | 0.30 | 0 |
| Shots Per Goal | 5.7 | 0 |
| Shots On Target % | 47.1 | 35.3 |
Origi has outperformed Liverpool centre-forward Mario Balotelli in goals scored, goals per game, shots per goal and shots on target in league play this season.
16. Simon Kjaer
10 of 25
Lille's Danish centre-back Simon Kjaer, 25, has plans of playing for a Premier League club down the line.
"I have to plan for the best years of my career and England could very well be my next destination," Kjaer said, per Robin Bairner at Goal.com. "I've considered a move to England before, but next summer it could happen."
Kjaer was a liability at Wolfsburg and Roma, but has turned his career around at Lille.
15. Wilfried Bony
11 of 25
Swansea City are close to agreeing a new deal with Ivorian centre-forward Wilfried Bony, 25, per Gareth Vincent at the South Wales Evening Post.
How about Gylfi Sigurdsson getting his contract upgraded? Seven assists in 10 Premier League games is astonishing.
When Bony is in full flight, he could be a 20 goals-per season No. 9 for Swansea, assuming Sigurdsson continues his creative streak.
14. Fabio Borini
12 of 25
Inter Milan are targeting Liverpool's Italian centre-forward Fabio Borini, 23, per Darren Lewis at the Mirror.
Borini's decision to block a proposed permanent transfer to Sunderland is being vindicated.
He started in Liverpool's 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, while Sunderland were beaten 8-0 by Southampton last month.
If Inter make a move for Borini then it would be an indictment on struggling centre-forward Rodrigo Palacio, who has yet to score a goal in 546 minutes of Serie A play for Inter this season.
13. Anderson
13 of 25
Manchester United's Brazilian central midfielder Anderson, 26, could have his €76,675/£60,000-per-week contract cancelled, per Mark Ogden at The Telegraph.
Here are three reasons why Anderson has been a major disappointment.
- Consistent injuries.
- Lack of professionalism.
- Positional change from central attacking midfielder to central midfielder.
12. Jermain Defoe
14 of 25
Toronto FC's English centre-forward Jermain Defoe, 32, will join Queens Park Rangers in the January transfer window, per Joe Ridge at the Daily Mail.
Defoe scored 11 goals in 18 Major League Soccer games for Toronto, but finished the season on a six-game goalless run.
Despite the hype, Toronto missed the MLS playoffs.
Toronto have no intentions of letting him leave cheaply, per the Toronto Star.
11. Kevin Strootman
15 of 25
Manchester United will monitor Roma's Dutch central midfielder Kevin Strootman, 24, as he eases back into football, per James Ducker at The Times.
Strootman's cruciate knee ligament injury could be potentially debilitating to his career.
While keeping an eye on Strootman, United should also heavily scout PSV Eindhoven central midfielder Adam Maher.
He is three years younger than Strootman and possesses an all-round playing style.
Maher has made 18 tackles, intercepted nine passes, scored six times and registered two assists in 10 Eredivisie games this season.
10. Fabio Coentrao
16 of 25
Manchester United are ready to sign Real Madrid's Portuguese left-back Fabio Coentrao, 26, per Anthony Chapman at the Express.
Luke Shaw started 35 Premier League games for Southampton last season, so if he remains fit then it would be pointless to sign Coentrao.
Given United manager Louis van Gaal's tendency to give young players a chance, Reece James should be afforded an extended starting run if Shaw gets injured.
9. Adriano
17 of 25
Le Havre president Jean-Pierre Louvel claims Brazilian centre-forward Adriano, 32, will still move to the club in spite of his legal predicament.
"Former Brazilian football international Adriano has been charged with links to a drug lord in Rio de Janeiro," per BBC. "Prosecutors said that Adriano gave a drug dealer a motorbike that was used in criminal activities."
When Louvel says "I do not see how this would affect the transfer," he is speaking strictly on his end. Le Havre may still want the novelty and attention Adriano will bring to the minnow club.
But if Adriano's passport gets revoked, then his alleged criminal links to the underworld will have affected his proposed transfer to Le Havre.
8. Marco Reus
18 of 25
Bayern Munich and Manchester City are both vying for Borussia Dortmund's German left attacking midfielder/deep-lying forward Marco Reus, 25, per Ralph Ellis at the Daily Mail.
Reus can avoid inflaming tensions with the Dortmund fans by going overseas and playing for City rather than signing for Bayern.
If City offered him €254,854/£200,000-per-week, he would be a fool to turn down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to set himself up for life.
Given his injury record, it would be a smart decision to lock down a five-year £200,000-per-week contract at City.
He only needs to look at Owen Hargreaves and Sebastian Deisler to see how quickly injuries can debilitate a career.
7. Esteban Cambiasso
19 of 25
Leicester City's Argentine central midfielder Esteban Cambiasso, 34, is not in talks to extend his contract, according to the Foxes assistant manager Craig Shakespeare, per Rob Tanner at the Leicester Mercury.
Cambiasso is class in midfield, but he is not playing at the same standard he was at Inter Milan.
- 83.1 pass accuracy percentage (Inter) → 77.1 (Leicester).
- 49.1 passes per game (Inter) → 29.1 (Leicester).
- 5.1 long passes per game (Inter) → 2.5 (Leicester).
- 1.3 key passes per game (Inter; pass leading to scoring chance) → 0.7 (Leicester).
Granted, it would be wiser to judge him in March when he's had enough time to acclimatise to the change of pace in the Premier League.
6. Radamel Falcao
20 of 25
Manchester United are unsure of extending the loan of Colombian centre-forward Radamel Falcao, 28, into a permanent transfer, per Neil Custis at The Sun.
Signed on loan from Monaco, Falcao has been satisfactory in the limited minutes he has played for United.
In his last four league games, he has scored once and created two goals.
Monaco's current No. 9, Dimitar Berbatov, has looked lacklustre having failed to score in his last seven combined Ligue 1/UEFA Champions League games.
If Berbatov continues his below-par form, Falcao will walk straight back into Monaco's starting XI if United pass on signing him permanently.
5. Robin van Persie
21 of 25
Fenerbahce are enquiring about the possibility of signing Manchester United's Dutch centre-forward Robin van Persie, 31, per Alex Harris at the Daily Star.
If David Moyes was the manager of United, then perhaps it may have been on the cards.
But since Van Persie's compatriot Louis van Gaal is managing United, Fenerbahce should seek other alternatives.
4. Steven Gerrard
22 of 25
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is ready to sign Liverpool's English central midfielder Steven Gerrard, 34, if he opts out of his Reds contract.
"I don't ever rate players on their age. Like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard is a top player," Pellegrini said, per The Telegraph. "It depends on the money they cost and the number of years they can play for."
Gerrard has yet to extend his contract at Liverpool.
He needs to accept a super-sub role because he does not adequately protect Liverpool's defence.
3. Gerard Pique
23 of 25
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are open to signing Barcelona's Spanish centre-back Gerard Pique, per Dave Wood at the Daily Mail.
The English media's fascination with Pique is bizarre.
Can he still do a job? Yes.
But what type of wages would he be seeking? How ambitious is he after winning everything there is?
His positioning in Barca's 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid was inconsistent, which is the ideal word to describe his form in recent years.
Chelsea, City and United are better off trusting one of their young gun centre-backs.
2. Thierry Henry
24 of 25
New York Red Bulls' French centre-forward/left attacking midfielder Thierry Henry, 37, is intrigued at the idea of playing in the Indian Super League, per L'Equipe (h/t Saumyajit Basu at The Times of India).
One reason why Henry is interested is the significant French contingent in the ISL:
- Bernard Mendy (Chennaiyin FC).
- Cedric Hengbart (Kerala Blasters).
- David Trezeguet (Pune City).
- Gennaro Bracigliano (Chennaiyin FC).
- Johan Letzelter (Mumbai City).
- Mikael Silvestre (Chennaiyin FC).
- Nicolas Anelka (Mumbai City).
- Raphael Romey (Kerala Blasters).
- Robert Pires (FC Goa).
- Sylvain Monsoreau (Atletico Kolkata).
- Youness Bengelloun (FC Goa).
Henry has scored 10 goals and registered 13 assists in 32 Major League Soccer games for the Red Bulls.
He is in the power position to negotiate another big money deal, whether it is in the MLS, China, India, the Middle East, etc.
If money is not such a big factor and lifestyle ranks high on his criteria for his next destination, he should seriously consider playing in Australia for an A-League club.
1. Xavi
25 of 25
Barcelona's Spanish central midfielder Xavi, 34, will be offered a contract by FC Tokyo, per Nikkan Sports (h/t Japan Today).
The wear and tear of having played professional football since 1997 is why Xavi is a defensive liability and cannot play at a high intensity for 90 minutes at Barca.
Understandably, he has been a role player, but that doesn't mean he should retire.
He can play out another six years at a lower level while being an ambassador of the game.
He should consider playing in Australia, China, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, et al.
Statistics via WhoScored
