January Transfer Window: Top Targets for Some of the World's Top Teams

The international transfer window is closed until January, but that doesn't mean we can't speculate about who some of the world's biggest clubs will be looking at until then. January is less than four months away, and the transfer rumors will probably be flying nonstop until the window opens back up.

In England, Arsenal finally spent some money and brought in five players on the last day of August. But as the Gunners' game against Swansea on Saturday showed, Arsene Wenger's squad still has room for improvement.

English champions Manchester United were quiet at the deadline, but the Red Devils were linked to a few players in August. One of them was the young German star Mario Götze, a player several teams could be after in January.

Elsewhere in Europe, teams like AC Milan and Real Madrid figure to be active like they usually are.

We won't know for sure who they're after until January, but now is a great time to start thinking about it—and making a few educated guesses.

With that said, here are some potential transfer targets for Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Real Madird

Real Madrid always has money to spend, and more often than not, they spend large amounts of it. Look for that to be the case again in January as La Liga's title race heats up.

Carlos Tevez: The Argentinean forward has been linked with moves away from Manchester City for months, and several clubs have been named as potential destinations. Real Madrid was mentioned back in May, but a move never materialized.

Tevez returned to the Manchester City starting lineup Saturday, but the home fans gave him a less-than-friendly reception. With Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko all in form, Tevez might not see much action with City.

And if not, the transfer rumors could start swirling again.

And if so, Real Madrid would make as much sense as almost any club.

Gareth Bale: The Tottenham man seems to be one of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho's top targets.

The International Business Times reported back in August that Real might offer Lassana Diarra in a partial swap deal if Spurs are willing to sell Bale in 2013.

But Real Madrid has rarely been known to wait that long. A move in January 2012 might be possible.

Neymar: That same IBT article addressed Real's continued interest in Brazilian forward Neymar, who is currently playing in his home country at Santos. Here's the gist:

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Santos President Luis Alvaro de Oliveria Ribeiro has expressed dismay at the way Real Madrid has gone about their pursuit of Neymar and could report the club to FIFA. Santos has said that they will not sell their talented forward and want FIFA to warn Real Madrid over their future conduct.

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IBT reported Real could offer £39.5 million for Neymar, who is under contract at Santos until 2015. Real has done crazier things.

Asamoah Gyan: ChronicleLive.co.uk reports that Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is concerned about Gyan's desire for a transfer. Apparently, Gyan received a bunch of attention after scoring against England in March.

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Sunderland’s £13 million record buy has been at the center of transfer rumors ever since, with Spanish giants Real Madrid, Premier League high-fliers Spurs and Turkish sides Galatasaray and Fenerbahce all linked with the 25-year-old.

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Luis Suarez: As hard as it is to believe, IBT also reported that Real might be interested in signing Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez away from Liverpool.

The newspaper cites a report from the website caughtoffside.com:

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The website claims that Mourinho is keen to land the Uruguayan international in January after missing out on Neymar in the transfer window and will play on the fact that Madrid can offer the player Champions League football.

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This one doesn't seem likely, but with Real, you never know.

AC Milan

AC Milan won the Serie A title last season but started the current season with a shaky 2-2 draw with Lazio on Friday. Here are some of the club's potential targets in January.

Marek Hamsik: The Napoli midfielder was linked to a move to AC Milan in the summer, but his club was reluctant to sell. Napoli reportedly wanted €100 million for the Slovakian international.

"It would be a professional development, so I cannot promise Napoli anything," Hamsik told La Gazetta dello Sport. "They (AC Milan) are one of the most successful clubs in the world."

AC Milan later ruled out a bid that large. In January, however, negotiations could resume.

Christian Eriksen: This is another summer leftover. AC Milan was reported to be interested in the young Ajax midfielder, but the move didn't happen in the most recent transfer window.

TribalFootball.com said Eriksen impressed AC Milan scouts when he played in Milan with Ajax last season.

There haven't been any developments since the summer, but this one could heat right back up at any time.

Mario Balotelli: Yet another summer transfer target, AC Milan reportedly wanted to bring Balotelli back to Italy.

Balotelli has made no secret of his desire to leave Manchester City, and AC Milan has long been a rumored destination.

Nicolas Anelka: That same report said Chelsea were willing to offer €20 million plus Anelka to get AC Milan's Pato.

Pato, who was AC Milan's second-leading scorer last season, is under contract until 2014, so this move seems highly unlikely.

Paulo Henrique Ganso: Here's one final summer target of AC Milan. Ganso reportedly favors a move from Santos to AC Milan over any other club. But Santos apparently wants €50 million for him.

If Santos and AC Milan can negotiate, there might be a few deals happening in January.

Liverpool

Christian Eriksen: The Ajax teenager is a hot commodity right now. Rated one of the best young midfielders in the Netherlands, Eriksen has also attracted interest from AC Milan (see the previous slide for more).

Liverpool was linked to a move for Eriksen in the summer, but a deal never materialized. TalkSport.co.uk says Ajax refused to sell in the summer but speculates a bidding war could develop in January.

Stay tuned on this one.

Eden Hazard: According to Metro.co.uk, Joe Cole's exit from Anfield created the possibility that Liverpool could move for the Lille midfielder.

Hazard performed well in Belgium's win over the United States during international week, and he's one of the most sought-after young players in Europe.

Metro reports that Lille values Hazard at £20 million. If Liverpool wants to sign him, they'll have to beat Arsenal, which is apparently Hazard's first choice.

Ibrahim Afellay: The Barcelona and Netherlands player was linked to a loan move during the summer. Nothing happened, but if he doesn't get much playing time this season, expect him to move.

Adam Johnson: The Manchester City midfielder has been linked to Liverpool repeatedly. Like Afellay, he might face a situation where he doesn't get much playing time on City's crowded roster.

M'Baye Niang: Liverpool and Tottenham reportedly chased the 16-year-old Caen midfielder during the summer. But questions remain over legal issues.

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"In terms of an important document such as an employment contract, the two parents have to sign on behalf of their child under the age of 18," the lawyer of Niang's father Khaldi Ouadi told Le Parisien.

"The father has not signed the contract and he is planning to initiate proceedings to render the contract null and void."

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Niang made seven appearances and scored three goals last season for Caen.

Manchester United

Wesley Sneijder: Manchester United and Wesley Sneijder were linked in the transfer-gossip news all summer. For examples, try here, here, here, here and here.

The situation got increasingly ridiculous, with Man U manager Sir Alex Ferguson claiming he wasn't interested in Sneijder, then saying Sneijder wouldn't be an ideal replacement for retired midfielder Paul Scholes. After NOT moving to Man U on transfer day, Sneijder then posted a nice message to Manchester United fans on his Twitter account.

Whatever.

You know the old saying about smoke and fire? Well, there's a bunch of smoke here.

Mario Götze: Football Transfer Tavern has a report that Ferguson is brokering a deal for young German midfielder Mario Götze. Arsenal was rumored to be in the hunt for Götze at the end of the most recent transfer window but nothing materialized.

FTT cites a report from FootieBunker that says Ferguson is bidding on first rights to buy Götze in the future. Take that for what it's worth (probably not much): "Footybunker.com reports that Manchester United have offered £1.5m to have the first option to buy Gotze but the article gives no details of whether this was accepted or not."

At just 19, Götze has already been capped eight times by Germany. He made his senior international debut on November 17, 2010, aged 18. Since making his first-team debut in 2009, Götze has scored 17 goals in 42 league appearances for Borussia Dortmund.

Paulo Henrique Ganso: Ganso has been linked (Sneijder even made it into that story!) with a move to Man U and AC Milan (see previous slide).

The play maker stayed in Brazil but a future move is always possible, especially for a young, up-and-coming Brazilian who will be targeted by several European teams.

Arsenal

Arsenal made a ton of noise at the transfer deadline, but manager Arsene Wenger could be busy again in January. Here are a few potential targets.

Mario Götze: Arsenal showed plenty of interest in the 20-year-old German wonderkid this summer, and they're likely to keep up the pursuit. Footybunker says Arsenal and Manchester United are gearing up for a battle over the player's signature. Arsenal could have the inside track since it plays Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Eden Hazard: Hazard, the 20-year-old Belgian midfielder, has been an Arsenal target for several months. He's under contract at Lille until 2015, but Arsenal reportedly weighed an offer for the £26 million-rated player during the most recent transfer window. Liverpool is also interested, but Arsenal seems to be Hazard's preferred destination.

Gary Cahill: He didn't move to Arsenal during the transfer window, but apparently it was close. Just this week, Wenger confirmed his interest in the player. Even though Arsenal brought in Per Mertesacker, another central defender would provide cover in case of injury. Look for Arsenal to renew its pursuit in January.