Ranking the Week's 20 Hottest Transfer Rumours with Isco, Hummels and Moreno
The arrival of another weekend signifies time to round up another week's worth of transfer rumours and potential January deals around the world of football.
This time, we're looking at some significant (possible!) deals involving Chelsea and Real Madrid in particular, with both teams struggling with recent results and headlines and doubtless looking to improve quickly.
The rumours are curated from the global media, not from B/R, and our rankings are subjectively ordered according to the mentioned fee involved, the reputation of the buying club and the quality of the player in question.
20. Lewis Cook
1 of 20
Leeds United starlet Lewis Cook is attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League and may be a target for a January move.
That's according to the Daily Star, who report the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as Bournemouth and Stoke City, are all watching the midfielder with some regularity.
Cook is valued at around £10 million and is just 18 years of age.
19. Dwight Gayle
2 of 20
Crystal Palace forward Dwight Gayle has once again found game time hard to come by this season, only lasting the full 90 minutes of a game once so far and not scoring in six league appearances.
Bournemouth are reported to be interested in giving him an escape route and a chance for regular football, with the Daily Mirror indicating they want him for around £6 million to replace injured star Callum Wilson.
Wilson is out for most of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, while Bournemouth have lost four of their last five league games, sinking to 19th.
18. Ravel Morrison
3 of 20
Lazio midfielder Ravel Morrison is already being linked with a move away from Italy and back to England, after he departed the club training ground during the week after being left out of another matchday squad.
Calciomercato.it (h/t Football Italia, via Eurosport.co.uk) reported Morrison leaving the country for personal reasons, while also suggesting his lack of game time and poor relationship with his manager means he'll be off for good sooner rather than later.
No concrete club is mentioned in the report, though ForzaItalianFootball.com suggested several English sides are looking at him.
17. Andros Townsend
4 of 20
Tottenham Hotspur's not-so-super sub Andros Townsend is on the verge of a move to Newcastle United, according to the Daily Mail.
The report indicates that plans are already well underway to bring the England winger to St. James' Park, potentially on an initial loan deal with a view to a permanent switch in the summer.
Townsend has only played three times in the Premier League this season, barely clocking up an hour of game time. Even in cup competitions, he is hardly seeing regular action at Spurs.
16. Robin Van Persie
5 of 20
Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie looks to be on his way out of new club Fenerbahce shortly.
Turkish outlet Takvim (h/t the Daily Express) report the Super Lig club want to bring in striker Fred to replace Van Persie, with the Dutch striker set to return to former club PSV as a result.
Van Persie has scored only five in 12 league games this term, six in 20 in all competitions.
15. Andre Ayew
6 of 20
Ghanaian attacker Andre Ayew only joined Swansea City in the summer, but already reports are suggesting he might be off to Liverpool in January.
The Daily Express quote the player talking to RMC and confirming he had "offers from big clubs" even before signing for the Swans.
Ayew made a big impact in the early weeks of the season and has six goals in 13 for the Swans in the Premier League so far, though the team's form has dropped off of late and they sit 14th in the table.
Liverpool, the team most heavily linked with him, face Ayew and Swansea this weekend.
14. Nikola Kalinic
7 of 20
Chelsea's move for a striker in January will begin with a potential move for Fiorentina's Nikola Kalinic, according to reports in Italy.
Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t the Metro) indicate Kalinic, who has nine goals in 12 Serie A matches this term, is the club's main watching brief at present and that he would be an attainable target in the winter window.
Chelsea are languishing down in 15th place this season, and even the top four will quickly be out of reach if they don't improve significantly.
13. Manuel Lanzini
8 of 20
West Ham United's on-loan winger Manuel Lanzini has attracted the attention of Liverpool, and the player is flattered by the attention, as reported by ESPN FC.
In the article, Lanzini also claims he is happy to stay at the Hammers beyond his loan spell—something already mentioned by co-owner David Sullivan, as West Ham have an option to buy.
Lanzini has scored six in 15 games in all competitions this term, including one against Liverpool before Brendan Rodgers left the Anfield club.
12. Jonjo Shelvey
9 of 20
Newcastle United's move for Andros Townsend mentioned earlier is only one part of a double plan to improve the midfield, with the Daily Mail reporting they are also making an ambitious move to sign Jonjo Shelvey from Swansea City.
The Magpies are struggling this season and manager Steve McClaren has recommended taking a buy-British approach in January, even if this particular deal might be difficult to pull off.
Shelvey has impressed with Swansea and made himself a regular in the England squad once again after three assists and one goal in the Premier League this term.
11. Samir Nasri
10 of 20
The Daily Mirror report that Manchester City have officially turned down a bid for Samir Nasri from Italian champions Juventus.
Despite the French attacking midfielder now set to be sidelined for several months due to injury, City are happy to keep him at the club and believe he can impact on the squad, even with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling ahead of him.
The bid from Juve was believed to be for £10 million.
10. Jamie Vardy
11 of 20
Premier League record-chaser and top scorer Jamie Vardy has drawn attention to himself with his energetic and goal-laden displays for Leicester City this season, shooting the Foxes to the top of the table with 13 goals to date.
Naturally, that has led to transfer speculation and the striker is being looked at by Chelsea as one of their potential January recruits, according to the Daily Mirror.
Diego Costa's future at the club is seemingly not settled and Jose Mourinho is looking at alternatives for the No. 9 role.
9. Lars Bender and William Carvalho Head Extensive Arsenal List
12 of 20
Francis Coquelin's injury is to force Arsene Wenger's hand into deciding on a holding midfielder this winter, according to the Daily Mail, who report that the Gunners' title bid could depend on the manager's decision.
There are a host of names around Europe who have been monitored for some time with the view of eventually selecting one to sign, with Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender and Sporting's William Carvalho at the top of that list.
Nampalys Mendy, Vincent Koziello, Lucas Biglia and Grzegorz Krychowiak are also all potential targets.
8. Mousa Dembele
13 of 20
Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele has been one of the reasons for the side's impressive recent run, and the Belgian is a target for Chelsea as a result, according to the Daily Mirror.
Chelsea are considering a £20 million move for the man who will attempt to thwart the Blues' revival this weekend, as Jose Mourinho's men face Tottenham in the Premier League.
Dembele has played both in the centre of midfield and further forward as an attacking option this season, with the report noting Mourinho thinks the player would give the team a "desperately needed boost" if he signed.
7. Sadio Mane
14 of 20
Manchester United's ongoing chase for Sadio Mane is heading into January, when the Old Trafford club will want to make another bid for him, per the Daily Mail.
The Saints, however, are refusing to do business in the winter window and instead want to try to extend Mane's contract—though a summer move isn't out of the question if United remain interested.
Mane has scored three times in 13 league games this term.
6. Harry Kane
15 of 20
Chelsea figure heavily in our transfer rumours this week, and the London club are looking at rivals Tottenham Hotspur again, with a view to signing Harry Kane in the summer.
The Daily Mail indicates that Diego Costa is "under review" and that a worldwide search is on for a new Chelsea striker, with Kane high up on that list of alternative options for a big-money deal at the end of the season.
Kane has scored eight league goals this season and faces Chelsea at the weekend.
5. Daniele Rugani
16 of 20
Juventus' impressive young centre-back Daniele Rugani has not had a chance to show his worth at his parent club this term after starring for Empoli last year.
Now the Mirror (h/t Gazzetta World) reports that two Premier League clubs, Arsenal and Manchester United, are prepared to offer him a loan spell at either club to get regular football and boost their own defensive ranks.
Napoli are also mentioned as a possible destination.
4. Mats Hummels
17 of 20
Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels is set to hand in a transfer request at the end of the current season, according to Bild (h/t TalkSPORT).
That has alerted Manchester United, long-time admirers of the German international and who are looking for a new partner to Chris Smalling for next term.
Hummels will still have one year left on his deal once the summer arrives, but is unlikely to sign a new contract—meaning a move is a bigger possibility than ever.
3. Alberto Moreno
18 of 20
Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno heads the list of left-backs wanted by Real Madrid in January, per Marca, with Marcelo's ongoing injury concerns making the position a problematic one.
Nacho has filled in at left-back for Real recently, but a more natural, offensively inclined player would make a like-for-like replacement for Marcelo available—and that's what Real see in Moreno.
That he is Spanish and also not cup-tied in the Champions League are further bonuses for the potential move, ahead of the likes of Ricardo Rodriguez or Natanael.
2. Isco
19 of 20
Real Madrid playmaker Isco was unhappy to be left out of the team's starting XI in El Clasico last weekend—and was then sent off shortly after coming on as sub.
Such disappointment has seemingly led to talk of a move away, with Tuttosport (h/t TalkSPORT) suggesting Juventus are ready to make a huge bid for him in January.
The Spanish international has also been linked with Arsenal previously.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
20 of 20
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo remains a target for Paris Saint-Germain—and the Ligue 1 champions are willing to offer wages beyond the capacity to match of English clubs in an attempt to secure his signature.
The Daily Mirror claim PSG will offer Ronaldo £250,000 a week after tax, meaning English clubs would have to double that outlay—£500,000 per week—to match the financial offer on the table.
Ronaldo scored twice in midweek in the Champions League to move to 15 goals in 17 games this season overall.
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