With the January transfer window underway, a lot of clubs regardless of their size or League position will be busy in an attempt to salvage what they can regarding manpower acquisition and to improve the overall quality and depth of their squads.
The Premier League especially has seen a change in the Calibre of players coming in, with the likes of Dimitri Payet, Juan Iturbe and the rest making their way into the relatively smaller clubs of the League.
More clubs in Europe’s top five leagues will be looking to take advantage of this window so without further ado let’s take a look at the five key battles in and around the top European leagues;
Javier Hernandez
The Mexico international made a summer move to Bayer Leverkusen and has already started making waves in the Bundesliga, scoring 11 goals in 14 appearances, more than any single player in United’s current first-team setup. He’s been in superb touch since moving away from Old Trafford,
He’s expected to be the subject of some intense bidding in the coming weeks as many top clubs including Arsenal are looking to bolster their attacking options as they look to stake a huge claim in the title race.
Chelsea have also been linked with the striker following reports that they are set to Terminate Falcao’s loan spell amid his unconvincing performances.
Isco
The attacking midfielder has struggled to make it into the Madrid’s first-team this season as the likes of Gareth Bale, and Tony Kroos have found more playing time than Isco.
Although Manuel Pellegrini has said that City won’t be doing any business in January, he might just relish a chance to have his former Malaga star leading City’s midfield.
Chelsea, Juventus, and Manchester United have also been linked with him in recent weeks, so this transfer saga is worth following.
Gareth Bale
The Welsh Ronaldo as most would call him doesn’t seem to be happy with the dismissal of Rafa Benitez and a move away from the Bernabeu is looking like more of a possibility.
Manchester United and Chelsea look set to battle it out for Bale’s signature as both teams (especially United) are in dire need of some more creativity up front.
Van Gaal expressed his desire to bring in players with pace once the transfer window opens up, and as we all know there aren’t many players in the modern game capable of out-running Bale.
Chelsea looks set to use Hazard as a bargaining chip in an attempt to sign Bale, but it remains to be seen if Florentino Perez will sanction a deal such as that.
Charlie Austin
The QPR star was impressive last season and has carried on his form In the Championship this term, although he’s been hit by quite a lot of injuries.
With reports suggesting that he may leave the London outfit in January, the likes of Newcastle and Southampton may finally deem it fit to move in for his services.
Ilkay Gundogan
Gundogan was one of the most sought-after players in the summer, but Dortmund managed to hold on for his services as they rejected multiple bids from Juventus.
Now that Gundogan seems to be over his injury woes many more clubs will surely be in for him this month as his former manager Jurgen Klopp has already expressed interest in signing him.
Juventus are also expected to try their luck once again as they are still in search of a player who would stabilize the midfield like Andrea Pirlo.