January Transfer Rumors: Is Robin Van Persie the Most Coveted Player in January?

After the summer transfer window closed in August, plenty of speculation came upon numerous players about making moves in the January window. The main name mentioned at the time was Neymar, the Brazilian starlet playing for Santos in Brazil, but now a name has jumped above Neymar in the transfer spotlight.

That name is Robin van Persie.

After Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left Arsenal in the summer for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, van Persie took over the captain's armband. He became the most experienced Gunner on the roster, which mainly contains players under the age of 25.

Over the past two weeks, van Persie's name has been mentioned with a move away from the Emirates Stadium in January as Arsenal Wenger's club continue to struggle in the Premier League. They are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season if their current form continues.

With a starting position in the Dutch lineup for the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine, in the upcoming summer, van Persie will want to have as much big game preparation as possible. Since the Gunners currently have so much youth on the pitch, he may not be able to get that at Arsenal.

If van Persie decides to leave the Gunners in January, there are plenty of clubs getting lining up for his signature.

Arsenal are going to do the best they can to keep the Dutchman at the Emirates and are rumored to be offering van Persie a 20,000 pound pay raise per week. The team offered Nasri the same deal last year, but that did not keep him around for the long term.

If that deal does not work for van Persie, there are plenty of suitors out there for him. Manchester City have been linked the most with the striker but other Premier League clubs should look to get ready to chase van Persie as he wants to stay in the Premier League. Manchester United has also been rumored to be after the services of the Dutchman, but that just may be pure speculation as City have a true interest.

Other clubs outside of England that could be interested in van Persie's services are AC Milan, Inter, and Juventus in Italy. Even Real Madrid have inquired about the availability of van Persie.

Regardless of whether he moves or not, Robin van Persie will be the top target in January as Arsenal continue to struggle and the other big clubs in Europe look to sign a star striker.