One more big January transfer? Rating the latest rumours

It’s been a particularly quiet window, in England at least, with most of the elite clubs seemingly prepared to wait until the summer before cracking open the war chest.

Manchester United have done a deal for Victor Valdes and Manchester City have spent a big slice of their profits on the excellent Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony. With a week to go in the window, Arsenal and Chelsea are currently looking most likely to do more business.

Chelsea

Juan Cuadrado – this would appear to be Chelsea’s main target in January. If Jose Mourinho could design a winger from scratch, Weird Science style, the end product would surely look something like Cuadrado. He’s a natural athlete who never stops moving and never seems to tire. He is happy to track back and also devastating going forward, making him a dream signing for Jose and Chelsea. VERY LIKELY

Douglas Costa – Some feel that this guy is a second choice if the Cuadrado deal doesn’t happen. The player himself seems very keen to join Chelsea and has been quoted as saying:

“To play at Chelsea is a dream for any player,”

Another tricky customer – not quite as quick or powerful as Cuadrado but he can play in several positions. He’s another who would fit in quickly in our opinion. LESS LIKELY

Andre Schurrle – All of Chelsea’s business could come down to the successful sale of Andre Schurrle who is apparently close to joining Wolfsburg after a fairly successful stint in England. VERY LIKELY

Arsenal

Gabriel Paulista

We expect Arsenal to make a couple more moves in the last week of the window. But this one looks closest to happening right now with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger saying on Sunday, in relation to the Paulista deal:

‘They (the reports) are accurate. It is very, very close and it should be done tomorrow.’

Having been granted a work permit, this one seems all but done and dusted. VIRTUALLY DONE