Premier League Transfers: Top 10 January Rumours of the Week

Another week has come and gone in December as the January transfer window continues to edge closer and closer. The English Premier League clubs will mostly all be looking to either add or offload a few names and faces when the window hits.

Injuries are likely to be key factor in the addition of some players as there are quite a few teams in the EPL that have had some devastation dished out as far as loss of players goes.

All in all, this has been an interesting week in the market as some big names are flying around as Bleacher Report breaks down the top 10 biggest rumors of the week.

Sandro out of Tottenham

Tottenham midfielder Sandro has been rumored to be on his way out of North London as Manchester United have been tipped as possible suitors by Givemefootball.

He would most likely be filling the gap that has been left by Darren Fletcher, who is believed to be in a career crisis.

Lucho Gonzalez to Arsenal

Olympique Marseille midfielder Lucho Gonzalez continues to be linked with Arsenal. The 30-year-old, however, may be outside of the age group that Arsene Wenger will be back to targeting.

The French manager made some out-of-character signings as far as age in both Mikel Arteta and his loan for Yossi Benayoun, and with his club in a better position than back in August, he may be more inclined to focus on slightly more youthful signings.

Didier Drogba out of Chelsea

Chelsea are looking to lose not just Nicolas Anelka in the January transfer window, but they very well could be without Didier Drogba as the Ivorian is ready to pack his bags for whichever club offers him the fattest paycheck, according to the Telegraph.

Frank Lampard has been reported by The Sun as pleading with his teammate and friend, but it seems that Drogba has made up his mind.

At the same rate, Frank Lampard could also be heading out against his wishes as Andre Villas-Boas looks bent on building a completely new team rather than try and keep filling in pieces in the squad assembled years ago by fellow Portuguese, Jose Mourinho.

Talksport has already mentioned a major offer from newly rich Russian club Anzhi and a partnership with Samuel Eto'o could be an interesting proposition for Drogba to contemplate.

Edinson Cavani to Chelsea

The rumors of Edinson Cavani possibly moving to Chelsea will be adding fuel to the fire that is making it look more and more possible that Fernando Torres will be making his Stamford Bridge exit in January.

Cavani has been outstanding for Napoli since joining from Palermo a few years ago and according to the Daily Mail, he is the top priority on the Blues' winter shopping list.

With Nicolas Anelka already set to leave for China the minute the window opens, and Didier Drogba expected to be gone for most of January for the African Cup of Nations and possibly even be gone permanently, it is imperative that Andre Villas-Boas add to his attack whether Torres leaves or not.

Carlos Tevez to AC Milan

AC Milan today officially confirmed on BBC Sport that they have made an offer to take Carlos Tevez off the hands of Manchester City.

However, despite City not playing the striker since September, it appears that they are upset with the manner in which Milan have made their approach for the out-of-favor headache of a player, according to Goal.com.

The Daily Mail also confirmed the interest from AC Milan on December 15, 2011 as they have promised to make Tevez the best player in the world. If I were in a group of attackers that included Filippo Inzaghi, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Robinho, Alexandre Pato and Antonio Cassano with midfield support from ALberto Aquilani and Antonio Nocerino I would be believing it as well.

Eduardo Vargas to Liverpool, Chelsea or Napoli

Eduardo Vargas has become one of the hottest transfer topics over the past 72 hours. Originally, Chelsea were set to make an offer for the 22-year-old in the early days of December when Liverpool also were thought to be entering the race for the Chilean starlet, according to the Daily Mirror.

On Thursday, however, Chelsea were reported by the Daily Mail as being yet to have made an offer. The Universidad de Chile star is hoped to be the replacement for the departing Nicolas Anelka in attack.

Chelsea and Liverpool now could be pushed out of a move for the player altogether, though, as Serie A side Napoli have entered the mix and are believed to be already opening negotiations, as stated in Metro.

Milos Krasic to Manchester United

Juventus outcast Milos Krasic looks set to make a loan move to Manchester United if Sir Alex Ferguson waves his hand and agrees to the deal, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Red Devils are one of several EPL teams that have been ravaged by injuries in the recent month or so and the addition of an extra winger for the remainder of the season could prove valuable.

Also a promising loan move could prove equally beneficial to all parties involved from United to Juventus as well, as Krasic who looks to really need to find a new home permanently in the summer of 2012.

Lukas Podolski to Arsenal

German International superstar and FC Koln's 26-year-old forward Lukas Podolski looks set to make a £15 million move to Arsenal in January. If he does indeed complete the move, Arsene Wenger will have possibly one of the best partnerships in the EPL.

Podolski was lethal as a partner to Miroslav Klose internationally for Germany and he is best as a second striker not having to carry the goal scoring load. Given the existence of Robin Van Persie, Podolski should be a major help to the Gunners attack.

Both FOXsports.com and the Daily Mail believe the deal will be a go as of January 1st, 2012 and the Arsenal fans are ready for it to happen, according to Givemefootball.

Landon Donovan Returns to Everton

Everton may have just pulled off a deal that could possibly save their season. Two years ago, the Toffees took LA Galaxy forward and USMNT member Landon Donovan on loan for a 10-game spell from January to February, as reported by the Daily Mail and USA Today.

In that time, Donovan made 13 appearances, scoring two goals and providing three assists for the blue side of Merseyside. Most importantly, he played part in victories over Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea as well as debuting against Arsenal in a 2-2 draw.

His total time in the EPL with Everton helped to produce 20 points out of a possible 30 available. It goes without saying that 20 points of assistance this term could be a great thing as the Toffees find themselves on only 16 points at the moment and are in dire need of offensive inspiration.

Donovan will likely debut this time on January 4, 2012 against Bolton Wanderers. He will also face off against top clubs Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and finish his loan off on February 25th in the second Merseyside Derby of his career when the Blues go to Anfield for round two of this year's battle.

Check out Everton Featured Columnist Matt Cheetham's article;Everton FC: Where the Returning Landon Donovan Fits in for the Toffees as well as Featured Columnist Michael Cummings, Landon Donovan: Why He Should Make Everton Move Permanent.

Fernando Torres Back to Liverpool

Back in January of this year, Fernando Torres became known as Judas to any Liverpool fan when he made his record £50 million move to Chelsea.

However, this year has been the worst of his career and has many believing that he could be headed out of Chelsea and possibly end up back in front of the Kop hoping to prove he is still worthy of their love.

Reports have been made that he was for sale by the Guardian as well as nearly every other major football news reporter. Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas and the club are hitting back via BBC and other networks, claiming the player is not for sale by any means or price.

Whichever is true, check out Liverpool Featured Columnist David Hendrick's take on why El Nino should return to Anfield: Fernando Torres: 5 Reasons Why Liverpool Should Buy Back El Nino.

Conclusion

The transfer rumors have kept us busy this week, but it is the weekend and the action in the EPL kicks off in just a few hours, with the end results of this weekend sure to fuel even more speculation over the course of the remaining two weeks before the January transfer window opens.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out more on Bleacher Report and at the links below. You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my website.