Real Madrid Transfer News: Top Rumours Circling Blancos on New Year's Day 2015

The Spanish January transfer window will open on Friday, ahead of most other European leagues, and this close to the start of the madness, tons of rumours involving Real Madrid and several top players are swirling.

Los Blancos are the Champions League holders and have been insanely hot in the past two months—as one might expect, the very best players in the world are being mentioned as potential arrivals in January or beyond.

Real Madrid don't need to buy anyone in January, but club president Florentino Perez is always looking for the next top star to join his club. Don't be shocked if the current Liga leaders pull off yet another massive swoop, further strengthening the squad ahead of a run on silverware in 2015.

Here are the latest rumours coming out of the Bernabeu.

Blancos Favourites to Land Marco Reus?

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

According to Marca's Ruben Jimenez, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have agreed to a deal that would give Los Blancos a right to match any offer for star forward Marco Reus, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided to uphold Barcelona's transfer ban for 2015:

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling upholding Barca's transfer ban puts Real Madrid very much in the driving seat in the race for Marco Reus.

The Borussia Dortmund star has informed the 'Azulgranas' that he is determined to move on at the end of this season—as MARCA revealed exclusively in a special report on 15th December—and so he will not wait around for the punishment to be lifted. As such, the 25-year-old now has one fewer name on his list of potential destinations. ...

In any case, Real Madrid have a trump card in the shape of a verbal agreement between Florentino Perez and Dortmund president Reinhard Rauball, which gives 'Los Blancos' first dibs on the Germany international and the right to equal any offer that comes in for him.

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The report suggests that Reus favours a move to the Spanish capital, so as long as Real are willing to match the highest offers that arrive for the 25-year-old's services, he will join the European champions.

It's worth mentioning that Marca are a Madrid-based newspaper with a reputation for being very pro-Real, perhaps best illustrated when they, along with AS, relegated Lionel Messi's record-setting Champions League hat-trick in favour of a story about Cristiano Ronaldo, via Soccerlens:

Still, the fact remains that the CAS' decision to uphold Barcelona's ban certainly favours Los Blancos, particularly if you keep in mind Reus has reportedly been taking Spanish lessons, according to German newspaper Bild (h/t the Augsburger Allgemeine and ITV).

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe expects Reus' transfer fee to be above £40 million, despite his contract reportedly containing a buyout clause of £20 million set to activate in June:

And with virtually every top European club interested in his services, via Jimenez, the expected bidding war could reach unprecedented heights.

If Los Blancos have the right to simply match any offer, however, they will be in excellent shape to land the top transfer target of this window. Reus is a versatile game-changer capable of lining up anywhere on the attacking front, and while Real aren't exactly short of attacking options, the German will fit right in with the current pieces.

Manchester United Reportedly Ready to Make Radamel Falcao Deal Permanent

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There's less good news on the Radamel Falcao front: Just one day after reports surfaced that Real were ready to swoop should Manchester United choose not to make their loan deal for the Colombian permanent, per Metro's Will Giles, Marca's Jose Feliz Diaz reports that the Red Devils are ready to do just that:

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The Manchester United hierarchy have decided to take up the option allowing them to sign Radamel Falcao on a permanent basis and will do so shortly. A clause to this effect was inserted into the deal that took the Colombian from Monaco to Old Trafford on 31st August, with a fee of €50 million set—of which the Premier League giants forked out €10 million to snap up the striker on loan on transfer deadline day.

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Louis van Gaal has reportedly approved of the deal, and according to Feliz Diaz, Falcao's agent, Jorge Mendes, has already met with AS Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev to set the process in motion.

The 28-year-old Colombia international has been held back by injuries and a lack of form since completing a loan move from Monaco to Manchester in the summer, but he has started showing signs of his old, prolific self in recent weeks.

A return of two goals and three assists in 11 total matches—six starts—isn't bad at all for a player who hasn't been healthy, per WhoScored.com, and the Red Devils no doubt believe he'll soon be able to return to the level he as playing at before he suffered the knee injury that forced him to miss the 2014 World Cup.

United fans, like sports writer Serge Adam, are understandably excited at the news:

Like Reus, Falcao is perhaps a player Real don't really need, and Karim Benzema has enjoyed a fine first half of the season. But as one of the world's best and most well-known strikers, the Colombian fits the bill of a marquee signing—the kind of star Perez likes to add in every transfer window.

Falcao hasn't officially signed a permanent deal with the Red Devils yet, but at this point in time, it seems unlikely the two parties will split after one injury-marred season.

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