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Ranking the Week's 25 Hottest Transfer Rumours

Allan JiangDec 4, 2014

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. Zhang Xizhe

1 of 24

Beijing Guoan's Chinese left winger Zhang Xizhe, 23, is being targeted by Wolfsburg, according to the Bundesliga club's general manager Klaus Allofs.

"We are interested in this player [Zhang]... from a sporting point of view," Allofs said, per Bundesliga.com (h/t Deutsche Presse-Agentur). "But also of course in the interests of our sponsor Volkswagen which has a huge sales market in China."

The concern with Zhang is his inability to assert himself in the Asian Champions League. If he cannot dominate against Asia's best, he may struggle in the Bundesliga.

Zhang is a two-footed, nippy and high football IQ midfielder, who can have a Hiroshi Kiyotake-like presence if given an extended starting run.

24. Lucas Silva

2 of 24

Cruzeiro's Brazilian central midfielder Lucas Silva, 21, revealed it would be "a dream" to join Real Madrid but is unsure of their plans.

"I don't know if they [Real] are going to propose me joining them midway through or at the end of the season," Lucas said, per SPorTv (h/t Marca). "I don't yet know what's going to happen."

Lucas averages 2.1 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

23. Jason Davidson

3 of 24

West Bromwich Albion's Australian left-back Jason Davidson, 23, could be headed for an exit in the January transfer window, per John Percy at The Telegraph.

West Brom manager Alan Irvine prefers Belgian veteran Sebastien Pocognoli over Davidson.

League OnlyJason DavidsonSebastien Pocognoli
Games Played (Starts)2 (1)11 (11)
Minutes Played103881
Minutes Per Game51.580.1

Having burnt bridges at Heracles Almelo, Davidson should not expect an olive branch from his former employer.

Heracles have since moved on and with Fahd Aktaou at left-back.

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22. Majeed Waris

4 of 24

Trabzonspor's Ghanaian left attacking midfielder/centre-forward Majeed Waris, 23, has been offered a lucrative deal to play in Qatar from an unnamed club, according to Trabzonspor president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, per Bugun (h/t Alex Harris at the Daily Star).

Waris is goalless in 449 minutes of play in the Turkish Super Lig this season.

While he has an incredible short burst and an eye for goal, Waris struggled at Spartak Moscow and is in a rut at Trabzonspor. 

He needs to find a club that is going to make him the main man, a la Hacken and Valenciennes.

21. Duvan Zapata

5 of 24

Napoli's Colombian centre-forward Duvan Zapata, 23, will not be leaving in the January transfer window, according to his agent Fernando Schena.

"In January Duvan Zapata will remain at Napoli. In June we will hold talks with Napoli and decide his future," Schena said, per Crc (h/t Sky Sports). "We have received offers from Holland, Turkey, Greece but not Italy."

Zapata has been unable to break into the Napoli starting XI because of Gonzalo Higuain.

20. Martin Odegaard

6 of 24

Liverpool will attempt to convince Stromsgodset's Norwegian central attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard, 15, that signing with the Reds will be the right move when he tours the club facilities, per Simon Jones at the Daily Mail.

It should be a dream come true for Odegaard because he is a Liverpool fan, and he will probably be treated like a VIP guest. 

Sentiment aside, Odegaard should stay in Norway.

It is better to play against seasoned pros week in, week out than be at a big club playing youth football against other kids who may never make the grade.

19. Manolo Gabbiadini

7 of 24

Sampdoria's Italian right forward Manolo Gabbiadini, 23, is poised to move to Napoli.

"Napoli has essentially reached an agreement with the two clubs that own Gabbiadini's [playing rights]—Juventus and Sampdoria," per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com. "Tomorrow Napoli will try to reach an agreement with the player."

Gabbiadini is Sampdoria's top scorer in Serie A this season (four goals).

18. James McCarthy

8 of 24

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed the club will not entertain offers for Republic of Ireland central midfielder James McCarthy, 24, who is in his second season at the club.

"I see the potential interest or the good compliments that can be paid towards James [McCarthy] from the outside," Martinez said, per talkSPORT. "But he is a player we look forward to seeing in the Everton top for a long, long time."

McCarthy is a passing outlet for Everton, completing 88.4 percent of his 63.4 passes per game.

17. Nathaniel Clyne

9 of 24

Southampton management are worried English right-back Nathaniel Clyne, 23, could be unsettled by interest from Europe's major clubs, per Graeme Bailey at Goal.

Clyne has the right-back slot to himself after Southampton sold Calum Chambers to Arsenal.

This has given Clyne added confidence. He has totalled 64 tackles while only conceding eight fouls this season.

16. Mohamed Salah

10 of 24

Chelsea's Egyptian right attacking midfielder Mohamed Salah, 22, will be loaned out in the January transfer window, per Dave Kidd at the Daily Mirror.

Salah has spent more time watching Chelsea than playing.

Playing only 12 minutes in the Premier League this season means he is lacking match fitness and form, so a loan away makes sense. 

15. Charlie Adam

11 of 24

Stoke City's Scottish central midfielder Charlie Adam is one of Real Sociedad manager David Moyes' primary January transfer targets, per Fichajes.net (h/t David Elks at the Stoke Sentinel).

Adam is the same nationality as Moyes, speaks English and can be a combative presence in Sociedad's midfield. 

When Welsh manager Chris Coleman was coaching Sociedad, he signed compatriot David Vaughan, so Adam linking up with Moyes is plausible.

14. Giampaolo Pazzini

12 of 24

AC Milan are shopping Italian centre-forward Giampaolo Pazzini, 30, to various Premier League teams, per Darren Witcoop at the Daily Mirror.

Jeremy Menez and Fernando Torres have all received more playing time up front than Pazzini.

Having only played 79 minutes in Serie A this season, signing Pazzini would be a punt.

13. Jackson Martinez and 12. Roberto Soldado

13 of 24

Tottenham Hotspur are looking into the idea of trading Spanish centre-forward Roberto Soldado, 29, plus cash for Porto's Colombian centre-forward Jackson Martinez, 28, per Fichajes.net (h/t Jamie Sanderson at Metro).

Given Soldado's struggles in the Premier League having been a prolific scorer in La Liga, what is to say Martinez won't be the same? 

If Spurs have given up on Soldado, management should put their trust in Harry Kane and then assess the No. 9 situation at the end of the season.

11. Shaun Wright-Phillips

14 of 24

Queens Park Rangers' English right winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, 33, will consider a move to Major League Soccer, per talkSPORT.

Wright-Phillips' Premier League career is petering out unable to break into the QPR first team. 

Yes, the same QPR that are in the relegation zone.

Should Wright-Phillips move to the MLS, he could be inspired by his brother Bradley Wright-Phillips having a career-best season at the New York Red Bulls, scoring 31 goals in 36 league games.

10. Fred

15 of 24

Fluminense's Brazilian centre-forward Fred, 31, is in line for a big-money move to Guangzhou Evergrande, per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.

Having netted 17 goals in 27 league games this season, Fred would score goals for fun in the Chinese Super League. 

A potential Fred-Elkeson duo could be one of the most lethal strike partnerships in Asia, never mind the CSL.

9. Tim Cahill

16 of 24

New York Red Bulls' Australian centre-forward Tim Cahill, 34, has not verbally committed his long-term future to the club.

"It's been an unbelievable two and a half years," Cahill said, per EmpireOfSoccer.com (h/t FourFourTwo). "I'll talk with the club afterwards but I've enjoyed it."

Cahill would be welcomed back to Australia like a king if he wanted to play in the A-League.

He scored three goals in 1,761 minutes of Major League Soccer action for the Red Bulls this season.

8. Glen Johnson

17 of 24

Liverpool's English right/left-back Glen Johnson, 30, could be moving to Roma, per Matt Law and Chris Bascombe at The Telegraph.

Johnson's defensive positioning throughout the season has been woeful. His one bright moment of the season was not even a defensive one. 

His goal against Stoke City was invaluable.

7. Mario Balotelli

18 of 24

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists Italian centre-forward Mario Balotelli, 24, still has a future at the club.

"Hopefully he [Balotelli] will be available sooner rather than later," Rodgers said, per Sky Sports. "He's still very much a Liverpool player."

Balotelli is goalless in 685 minutes of Premier League play.

Unless he turns his form around as soon as possible, he will go down as one of the biggest flops in Premier League history.

6. Diego Godin

19 of 24

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has scoffed at the notion of offloading Uruguayan centre-back Diego Godin, 28, who was a vital member of last season's La Liga-winning campaign.

"How much? €20/£15.9 million? For Godin? It must be a mistake," Simeone said, per Sky Sports. "Let's talk about something else."

Godin has started every single one of Atleti's La Liga games this season as Simeone's side are tied for the second-best defensive record in Spain's top-flight (12 goals conceded in 13 games).

5. Juan Mata

20 of 24

Sevilla are open to signing Manchester United's Spanish central attacking midfielder Juan Mata, 26, per David McDonnell at the Daily Mirror

Signing Mata would be surprising as Sevilla have committed two seasons to Barcelona loanee Denis Suarez.

United selling Mata would not make sense since he is rekindling his scoring touch, having netted four times in the Premier League this season.

4. Sami Khedira

21 of 24

Real Madrid's German central midfielder Sami Khedira, 27, claims "there are no talks with other clubs," even though his future is still up in the air, per Richard Arrowsmith at the Daily Mail

Khedira has been plagued by a multitude of injuries, the latest being a concussion.

He has yet to start a La Liga game this season.

3. Arturo Vidal

22 of 24

Juventus' Chilean central midfielder Arturo Vidal, 27, has continued to refute rumours of a potential departure from Serie A.

"I feel content and happy here," Vidal said, per Cooperativa (h/t Gerard Brand at the Daily Mail). "This is my fourth year here and I feel right at home. There are always transfer rumours but I am calm."

Vidal's tackles per game dropping from 4.1 to 2.8 is a concern, so can his body continue playing at such an uptempo style?

2. Steven Gerrard

23 of 24

Liverpool players have backed English central midfielder/central attacking midfielder Steven Gerrard, 34, to extend his contract, per Andy Hunter at the Guardian.

If Gerrard plays a deep midfield role where he is expected to work hard off the ball and provide protection to his defence, he is exposed. 

But if he is given a free-roaming role further forward, he can spark Liverpool's attacks with his passing prowess.

1. Frank Lampard

24 of 24

Manchester City are still undecided on how long New York City FC's English central midfielder Frank Lampard, 36, will stay on loan.

"Frank Lampard's future at Manchester City is set to hinge on the club's [UEFA] Champions League commitments," per Mark Ogden at The Telegraph. "[City will wait] after next week's decisive fixture against Roma before considering an extension to the midfielder's loan arrangement."

Lampard should be in New York on a publicity tour to ramp up interest in the new franchise. 

But since Manchester City is the main club, New York City FC have to abide.

What might happen is Manchester City are so desperate that they will hold on to Lampard, who is proving he still has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

Lampard has scored more goals (three) in the Premier League this season than Chelsea's Willian (one), Manchester United's Radamel Falcao (one) and Liverpool's Mario Balotelli (zero).

@allanjianga          

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com

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