Football Transfers: The Big Clubs' Last-Ditch Deal Attempts

Ah, deadline day, the day that leaves our browsers with dozens of open tabs, constantly refreshing Twitter, flipping through TV channels and generally conducting ourselves like hyperactive gerbils in an attempt to absorb every deal, every shock, every jaw-dropping rate and every bit of the delicious drama. 

With the window closing at 11 p.m. tonight (GMT), we wanted to take a look closer at some last-minute deals each of the big clubs are trying to make happen and gauge how successful we think they might be. 

Manchester City: Owen Hargreaves

Manchester City's biggest move, a free transfer for former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, is pretty much a done deal at this point (although Aston Villa is reportedly making a late move), but is still worth discussing. 

The 30-year-old Canada native and English international is reportedly joining City on a "pay-as-you-play" contract, which seems like a prudent move, considering Hargreaves' long history of tendinitis and susceptibility to injury. A thorough medical check at Bridgewater was enough to convince City officials to move forward.  

The biggest justification for taking a chance on Hargreaves seems to be that Mancini and co. are looking for a strong veteran midfielder in the vein of Patrick Vieira—particularly one who could serve as a replacement for Yaya Toure when he leaves in January 2012 to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations.

And with a decade of experience at two of the world's biggest clubs, appearances in European play and contributing to some title wins—even when marred by injuries—a case could be made that Hargreaves will fit the bill. 

But what about the rest of the season when Yaya Toure is playing? City has a powerful midfield as is, especially given the recent addition of Samir Nasri and his formidable debut performance, along with David Silva and Gareth Barry.

If Hargreaves signs on (which he will), will he be the Vieira-style veteran leader who new players look up to, or just a bum on the bench? 

Liverpool: Yossi Benayoun (and Sebastian Coates)

Yossi Benayoun's potential departure from Chelsea has been one of the biggest stories in this transfer season. All signs point to the 31-year-old attacking midfielder leaving Stamford Bridge today, but where he lands is still up for debate. Arsenal, Lille and Liverpool have all put in bids for the former Red.

Chelsea offered Liverpool a swap deal of £7 million and Benayoun for midfielder Raul Meireles, which the Reds rejected—and rightly so. Although Meireles has yet to see much action this season, he was a strong performer last year and even beat out Samir Nasri, Dimitar Berbatov and his former teammate, Torres, to win the PFA Fans Player of the Year award last year.

And despite what Meireles lacks in terms of playing time so far this year due to injury, he's proved he's still capable and then some.   

But back to Benayoun.

Arsenal and Liverpool are the front-runners (and it seems Andre Villas-Boas is working a bit harder to make something happen with Liverpool), but with the Meireles deal shot down and Arsenal already mired in transfer woes, this could serve as motivation for Wenger to try a little harder; Arsenal could certainly use another midfielder after their mass exodus.

That being said, Benayoun could be a good fit at Liverpool (he was the first time around), and for a side with a lot of recent transfers where the veterans are fading fast like Liverpool now, having someone around who knows their way around Anfield could be beneficial. 

Liverpool's other big move, a now-confirmed signing of Uruguayan defender Sebastián Coates from Montevideo Nacional, will likely be the club's biggest payoff in terms of last-minute deals. Coates, who attributed Kenny's "smiling assassin" Luis Suárez as one of the biggest selling points for joining the club, is quick, cerebral and will be a formidable addition to the defense—especially as Jamie Carragher's role on the pitch seems to be diminishing. 

Chelsea: Franck Ribéry

It looks as though the Blues are planning to shed a lot of players on deadline day, including Yossi Benayoun, Florent Malouda, Alex and Salomon Kalou.

But what about their acquisitions?

With Spurs posed to deny a transfer request to midfielder Luka Modric, who Villas-Boas has eyed for a while, the biggest move Chelsea is poised to make is likely for Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribéry.

Even after missing several weeks due to various injuries, Ribéry had a stellar season at Bayern, scoring seven goals in 25 appearances and demonstrating creativity on the pitch, a virtue for which he has been praised in the past.

And if heavy goal-scorer Malouda departs as expected, Chelsea will need a strong presence in the midfielder to fill in the gap.  

Villas-Boas and Roman Abramovich initially offered £30 million to Bayern Munich for Ribéry, a number that is poised to increase to £36 million if they want to land the French international. A £10 million-a-year contract has also been discussed.

Arsenal: Alex

Following the departure of, well, pretty much everyone from Arsenal this season, the Gunners have been linked to transfer deals all over the league today: Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Yann M'vila, Gary Cahill.   

Arsene Wenger has his eye on several likely departures from Chelsea today, including Florent Malouda, for whom Wenger reportedly offered £8 million, and Yossi Benayoun. 

The likeliest soon-to-be-ex-Blue to move to the Emirates though—and the one who could potentially contribute the most—is Alex.  

It's a move that makes sense. If there's one thing Arsenal needs right now, it's a stronger defense, especially after that eight-goal barrage from Manchester United last weekend.

Alex has the credentials and experience to fill the centre-back position, but with fellow centre-back Per Mertesacker already coming over from Werder Bremen and poised to be a strong addition, perhaps the Gunners would be better off looking for more versatile defenders. 

Stoke City: Nicklas Bendtner

The 23-year-old Danish striker has expressed a desire to leave Arsenal since last season. He has been given the go-ahead to begin talks about a move to Stoke City and has been seen at Stoke today for a medical. 

With Bendtner only making one appearance so far this season for the Gunners and being left out of the club's summer tour of Asia, the striker is looking for a club where he can return as a starter. Stoke is willing to offer Wenger a record £9 million.

It's looking like Bendtner will be donning red and white stripes very soon.  

Tottenham Hotspur: Gary Cahill

With their North London rivals no longer a threat, the Spurs are closing in on a deal for Bolton's up-and-coming defender.  

Bolton wants £13 million in cash for Cahill, an amount Wenger was unwilling to cough up. But after two significant consecutive losses, Spurs may be willing to resort to more serious measures to fortify an underperforming defense.

Cahill could be the link the Spurs' defense needs—he's certainly tenacious (bouncing back after treatment for a blood clot), capable of scoring goals and has contributed to the Trotters' promising (sort of?) start to the season.

But will he leave Reebok Stadium to join the likes of versatile defenders Younes Kaboul and Gareth Bale? 

Queens Park Rangers: Craig Bellamy

The Welsh striker was thought to return to his former club Liverpool after spending last season at an almost-ran Cardiff City, but now it looks as though QPR will attempt to bring him to Loftus Road. 

Bellamy was close to retirement at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season after being left off Manchester City's Europa League squad, but after a solid loan year at Cardiff, Bellamy is raising eyebrows again.

Kenny Dalglish initially considered negotiations with City over the striker's possible return to Anfield as a possible supplement to Suárez and Andy Carroll, but only if City would let him go on a free transfer. 

The London club has been a surprising force in this transfer season, acquiring colorful Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton and Arsenal left-back Armand Traoré, and is poised to make a move for Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. 

AC Milan: Mario Balotelli

After Manchester City's website crashed on deadline day, rumors about the City striker and self-proclaimed second-best player in the world making his way elsewhere exploded. 

The 21-year-old has fallen by the wayside in favor of far more promising and high-performing strikers Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero, but buzz of Balotelli returning to his native Italy to join AC Milan or Palermo has resurfaced. Although rumors of Balotelli's City departure are highly speculative, Milan may be ready to try anything, especially after a failed attempt at bringing Kaká back.  

Milan has made transfer news elsewhere on the continent as they move to make a loan deal to veteran Real Madrid defensive midfielder—and one-time Tottenham prospect—Lassana Diarra. 

Inter Milan: Diego Forlan

Elsewhere in Milan, Atlético Madrid star Diego Forlán has confirmed a move to Inter as a replacement for Samuel Eto'o.

The €5 million fee seems like a steal on paper for the Uruguayan striker, who led his Rojiblancos to a UEFA Super Cup victory in 2010.

But the 32-year-old had a rocky season at Atlético, going 12 consecutive matches without a goal, and he was previously sought by crosstown rivals Real Madrid. Forlán did see a comeback over the summer on the international front, scoring two goals in the Copa America and propelling Uruguay to victory.

Replacing Eto'o will be hard,—he significantly outperformed his replacement last season and was instrumental in Inter's Italian Cup win—but Forlán proved over the summer he still has some shine left. 

Anzhi Makhachkala: Nemanja Vidić

In a shocking move, out-of-nowhere Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala (which already bagged Inter Milan star Samuel Eto'o last week) is making a move for Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidić.

The Dagestan-based side, which is owned by billionaire investor Suleyman Kerimov, is reportedly prepared to offer the Serbian defender—a fixture at Old Trafford, consistent performer and fan favorite—£25 million.

There's no way Sir Alex will let go of Vidić, but the bid is worth noting, especially after Anzhi was able to grab Eto'o from Inter. The Russian club, which only finished 11th in the Russian Premier League last year, has a whole lot of money and has shown they can and will make some serious deals.

Even if they fail at their attempt to grab Man U's captain, Anzhi is still a club to watch on deadline day. 

Manchester United: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Wes Sneijder?

The Inter Milan midfielder has been deadline day's hottest topic, linked to an ongoing drama with Manchester United, a last-minute bid from Arsenal and most sources pointing that he will stay at Inter. 

Sneijder has stated repeatedly in the press that he plans to stay with the Italian side, saying, "Anything is possible in football, but I don't think this time something will happen." 

But with Arsenal needing to bring on a big name after the departure of Cesc Fabregas and Sir Alex wanting Sneijder as a replacement for United veteran Paul Scholes, a last-minute deal may happen.

Rumors have been flying around about Sneijder coming to Old Trafford for a medical exam, but these have yet to be confirmed. Anything can happen—it's deadline day. 

In the end, it will all likely come down to who has the money; Sneijder's price tag comes in at £250,000 a week, and who knows if either English side will be willing to cough it up.

Inter clearly has it, and without Eto'o, will be more inclined to shell out more to keep the big names, making Sneijder's stay at San Siro all the more likely.