Predictions for the Biggest January of 2022 Transfers

The January transfer window is always the trickiest since so many teams are settled in with their players and do not wish to upset the squad’s balance and chemistry but the window is also more exciting due to its short length and the fact that many fans wish their teams to sign players to take their club the chance to go that extra mile and finish the season on a high note, either avoiding relegation or finishing in as high a position as they can.

While the pandemic hit football hard in terms of finances, transfers have been hard to do in that past year or so, however there has been less problems for Europe’s biggest clubs in that regard, especially in the Premier League, which makes the possibilities of big deals happening for these clubs even greater. So let us take a closer look at these clubs to deliver our 

predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers

:

January transfer window 2022 predictions

So what we are going to do here is to start our

January transfer window 2022 predictions

from the French Ligue 1 and look at all the top 5 leagues in Europe, ending with the Premier League. We’ll try to group teams together in this predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers so we have an understanding of how for example the teams from a same league are rivaling each other in the January transfer window. Now without further ado let’s start with Ligue 1:

Ligue 1

While the French Ligue 1 used to be a league with some clear heavyweights like

or

and PSG, the competition has now been a bit one note with PSG hogging all the attention away from other teams. But it hasn’t stopped those teams from competing with one of the strongest clubs in Europe as we saw last season that Lille became champions over PSG in a shock twist. Lille of course like many other Ligue 1 clubs has become more competitive with smart recruitment and great youth development plans.

Which makes the league a goldmine for bigger clubs in Europe whenever a transfer window comes around as

products are always such gems whenever they move abroad. If we were to mention the rumors around all of Ligue 1 players it would take an entire article so we will break it down to the most important ones. The biggest transfers that has already happened has to be the transfer of Jonathan Ikone from the defending champions Lille to Fiorentina for €14m and the transfer of the Brazilian right back Vanderson from Gremio to Monaco for the price of €11m.

As far as our predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers, it is likely that several Premier League clubs raid Ligue 1 sides since EPL has been hit so hard by Covid recently amidst busy schedule and the incoming AFCON. The biggest names that are being tossed around is Lille’s Sven Botman who is being pursued by a host of PL clubs including Newcastle as well as Monaco’s Tchouameni who has been a Chelsea target for a while now with the Blues seeming intent on bringing him to the Bridge. Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes is also under Arsenal’s radar who are in dire need of midfield reinforcement.

While

averted losing Kylian Mbappe at least for now, they might look to shift deadweight by selling or loaning out players like Julian Draxler, Tilo Kehrer and possibly even Georgino Weijnaldum who might be interested in going back to the Premier League (Arsenal, Newcastle United). Mauro Icardi is also being looked at by both Juventus (who want him on loan with an option to buy) as well as Manchester United who want him to replace Edinson Cavani.

PSG themselves are also eying moves for Crystal Palace wonderkid, Connor Gallagher as well as offering pre-contract deals to Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele who are both out of contract by summer. Since there are so many rumors flying around about Ligue 1 it is hard to get a clear picture and give sure predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers but things will be much clearer in a week or two. 

Serie A

As we move to Serie A, we will try to look more in depth to the rumors surrounding the league’s Big Three as well as their rivals to deliver our

predictions for the

biggest January of 2022 transfers

. So let’s see what this January transfer window will be about:

AC Milan

First up we have AC Milan who have enjoyed a resurgence in the past couple of years but are yet to taste true success by winning silverware. Which could be traced to them having a weaker and smaller squad than their rivals as we pointed out in our

2021-22 season predictions. This problem led to them losing the title race last season and has dogged them this season as well and they have to address it sooner rather than later.

Their biggest problem is their own star player Franck Kessie who looks on his way out as he refuses to sign a contract extension. If Milan is sure that they will lose him they might cut their losses and sell him now with clubs like Tottenham interested in the player rather than losing him to rivals Inter Milan who wish to sign him on for free. They might be looking in Marseille’s Boubacar Samara as well as Lille’s Renato Sanches to replace Kessie.

As far as their other targets go, the biggest seems to be

’s Sven Botman who is one of the best young defenders around and is being pursued by a host of clubs. They have to also address their lack of creativity up front by bringing in players like Romain Faivre (Brest) and Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea). They also have striker targets like Andrea Belotti who seems very near to sigining a precontract deal with Milan to join them in the summer.

Juventus

Juventues has been on the decline ever since Massimiliano Allegri left them 2 seasons ago and now with him back at the helm they seem to be in dire need of squad building as their team si either not suited to Allegri’s tactical style or is filled with players that are either old or seem unproductive. So naturally ther has been a lot of talk surrounding the club in terms of transfers, mainly outgoing ones, with the biggest one being Aaron Ramsey who has had a tough time of it since he joined Juve on a free transfer after leaving Arsenal.

The Welshman apparently wants a return to England but not just any team as he has already turned down the offer from

. Juve are also looking to bringing Mauro Icardi back to Serie A as they are in desperate need of reinforcements up front, especially with the likes of Arsenal after Juventus attackers like Dejan Kulusevski.

Inter Milan

Despite the selling of two of their best players from their title-winning season (Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi) and their manager Antonio Conte leaving,

was among the best in terms of the recruitment in the summer.

The biggest issue at Inter currently seems to be the contract situation for some of their established players like, Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic, who at times have been unhappy at Inter. The Nerazzurri are also close to signing the Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana who have been sidelined for months due to a doping charge.

Roma, Napoli and the rest

Mourinho’s

have been once again busy in the January transfer window and this time they have gone for another Arsenal midfielder, Ainsley Maitland Niles, who has signed for the Giallarossi until the end of the season without any options to buy. Spaletti’s

have seen their captain Lorenzo Insigne sign a pre-contract with

to join them on a free in July. Another Napoli veteran, dries Mertens, is also out of contract soon and Napoli has to think of replacements especially with the AFCON on the horizon and Victor Osimhen being absent for a month.

Bundesliga

Now let us move to the German Bundesliga to deliver our January transfer window 2022 predictions. Historically speaking Bundesliga teams are not very active in the

January transfer window

but let’s take a look nonetheless:

Despite early rumors claiming that

were after Leeds United’s Brazilian superstar Raphinha as well as Man United’s outcast Donny van de Beek, it has since been reported that the Bavarian giants may not be active in the January transfer window with the higher-ups in the club thinking that the current squad is sufficient for the goals they have set despite the Covid outbreak. Bayern are notoriously tight when it comes to spending and their fans have to brace themselves for a boring couple of windows before the club’s finances are back on track again!

Per usual,

is the club that is often associated with selling players in January rather than buying them, although as with their other dealings whenever they have dipped into the market they have made a great signing like Erling Haaland from two winters ago. While the transfer chatter around Haaland and his future club has been insane, it is highly unlikely that the Norwegian leaves Dortmund in January.

The old guard at Dortmund, namely GK Ryan Burki and midfielder Axel Witsel will be free to leave as the latter’s contract expires in the summer and there is interest from Dortmund to sign Dennis Zakaria to remedy Witsel’s departure. Their next bg target will be Karim Adyemi to replace Erling Haaland but it’s doubtful that the move happens this winter.

As far as the rest of the league goes, with the money being tight there are less chances of big transfers withing the Bundesliga but players like Dennis Zakaria who is out of contract soon might leave and cause a big wave. Players like Erling Haaland, Kingsley Coeman and Florian Wirtz are also the usual suspects when it comes to transfer rumors but each of those players will likely transfer during the summer and not a complicated January transfer window. 

La Liga

Now let’s move to the beloved La Liga to deliver our predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers. With the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners investing €2.1bn into La Liga, the clubs in the competition are set to be more active in the transfer windows. But what are our January transfer window 2022 predictions. Let’s find out:

Atletico Madrid

has always been a very practical club when it comes transfers despite them splashing the cash from time to time. Their recent coup of signing Antoine Griezmann for a fraction of the price they initially sold him to Barcelona has been great.

They have also been dealt a blow as one of their best players from last season, Kieran Trippier has left to join Newcastle United on a £12m deal. While Wolves’ Nelson Semedo is being looked at to replace Trippier, Atletico is also after Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic as well as Manchester United’s Anthony Martial, with the latter being more likely to happen this month.

Barcelona

Whether Barcelona is in financial ruin or not, the Catalan club are guaranteed to be linked with a slew of players even when the window is not active. Xavi’s side has already seen the talented Ferran Torres join them in a £55 deal, although he has yet to be registered. They have also let go of Philip Coutinho who has joined Aston Villa on loan in order to get some of his wages off the bill. The club is also trying hard to sign a new contract with Ousmane Dembele as the suitors for the Frenchman pile up.

They might also be willing to let go of their outcast defender, Samuel Umtiti, for him to join

although the defender has to apparently lower his wages, which makes the transfer unlikely. As far as the rumors go, Barcelona are actively looking for a striker with players like Aubameyang, Cavani and Morata being linked with the club. they are also looking at the pair Chelsea center backs, Rudiger and Christensen, to bolster their weak defense.

Real Madrid and the rest of the La Liga

Los Blancos have been uncharacteristically quiet in the past couple of transfer windows and it seems that this transfer window is no different since the club is in no rush to sign any player just for the sake of it. while the club is focused on the imminent transfer of Kylian Mbappe to Bernabeu in the summer, they are open to shifting some players out to make room for Mbappe’s massive wages. Although Madrid’s squad has been riddled with injuries recently and it is risky to make an already small squad even smaller, especially in this stage of the season.

Luka Jovic, Isco and possibly even Eden Hazard are players that will be allowed to leave this month but out of those three only Jovic has a real chance of joining a club and even then on loan. Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale could also move but as of now there doesn’t seem to be any serious offers for any of these players.

As far as the rest of our predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers in

goes, it seems that Arsenal are seriously after Sociedad’s incredible Alexander Isak to remedy their striker problem. Elsewhere, Liverpool is pursuing Villarreal Ace Arnaut Danjuma but need an offer upwards of 60 million pounds to convince the Yellow Submarines.

Premier League

Now let’s move to the Premier League section of our

predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers

which mainly covers the Top 6 as well as a couple of other clubs. (for more detailed Premier League predictions look

):

Tottenham Hotspur

Let us start with Tottenham where the Italian mastermind, Antonio Conte, has got the Spurs boys firing on all cylinders in the past 7 or 8 games despite his squad needing some serious revamping.It seems that their most realistic target in January is the

winger, Adama Traore and that they aim to get the Spaniard for a cut-price fee due to his contract situation. Spurs are desperately in need of attackers which is why they are also after Barcelona castaway Antoine Griezmann.

Their sporting director Fabio Paratici is also a great admirer of Milan’s Franck Kessie who is out of contract by the summer and wishes to bring him to London possibly even before the summer. As far as outgoings, there are several Spurs outcasts like Delle Alli or even N’Dombele who might leave but it is unlikely that any deal is done this January.

Manchester United

While every player that is even slightly on form is ultimately linked with Manchester United sooner or later, the club will likely first focus on outgoings as there are several unhappy players in their dressing room.

, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard are chief among them. The Red Devils are reportedly lining up a deal for PSG’s Mauro Icardi to replace Cavani should he leave. Martial is also on his way out with Barcelona as a possible destination. The River Plate striker Julian Alvarez is also close to signing with United as the club is ready to pay his £16.8 million release clause.

Other incomings may include Leeds United’s Charlie Cresswell who is pursued by both United and Liverpool. United were also after Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara but it seems that they face real competition from AS Roma. Manchester United may let go of Jesse Lingard this month to make room for new signings. West Ham United seems to be once again after the midfielder and are preparing a new bid. 

West Ham United

The Hammers are once again in an impressive top 6 race and David Moyes seems to be looking to strengthen his side in order to stay competitive for the remainder of the season. as such he looks to bring in Jesse Lingard who was the man that essentially took them to the 5th spot last season.

Hammers are a bit bare up front too and there are rumors of them targeting the former Inter player, Gabriel Barbosa (Gabigol) although this is less likely to happen. They are also after signing a couple of defenders, namely Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly and Everton left-back Lucas Digne. 

Arsenal

The Gunners were the busiest club during the summer after spending £143m and bringing in 6 essential players. Some criticized Arsenal for their this but Arteta and Edu seem to have known exactly what they were after. But as always the

have some unrest in their camp in regards to players’ contract situation and their discipline as their captain Aubameyang was left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons. With Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah out of a contract in 6 months’ time, the Gunners are in dire need of reinforcing their attack.

Which is why they are pursuing Sociedad’s Alexander Isak who has been brilliant in the past two seasons. Gunners are also one of the teams most affected by AFCON with several of their key players leaving (Partey, Elneny, Pepe and Aubameyang) so they are looking to sign midfielders like Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon or Dennis Zakaria from Gladbach. Weirdly though, they have loaned out Ainsley Maitland-Niles to Roma without any option to buy.

As far as their main targets for the striker position goes, Gunners have shortlisted Dusan Vlahovic, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lille’s Jonathan David, with the obvious first choice being Vlahovic.

might join Newcastle United in a surprise turn of events.

and Nketiah have already rejected new contracts and the latter might join Bayer Leverkusen. And there is a strong possibility of a loan move for Arsenal’s bright young star, Folarin Balogun to either Middlesborough or St Etienne.

Chelsea

This summer was no different as the Blues got their man, Romelu Lukaku, to remedy their goal scoring problem up front but the move hasn’t worked out for either parties. In fact, it has been a thorn into Chelsea’s side since Romelu Lukaku expressed his desire to go back to Inter Milan and showed no love to

. The Blues also have to deal with players like Rudiger and Christensen who are nearing the end of their contract and are unwilling to sign a new one with the former keen to join Real Madrid in the summer and the latter close to Real’s rivals Barcelona.

As such they are actively looking for defensive players. Lucas Digne from Everton, Theo Hernandez from AC Milan and Sergino Dest from Barcelona are players that Chelsea are after all of which are full backs. they might sell Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley in order to secure funds to sanction moves for said players.

Liverpool

Despite their best players (Salah, Mane and Keita) leaving for AFCON in January and Liverpool not having a particularly big squad to cope with that loss, the Reds seem to be quiet in the January market, although this has been a pattern in recent season. The Reds’ transfer window may not be as busy as their rivals but they are looking at attackers and wingers to boost their chances in the title race. Leeds United’s highly rated Brazilian star Raphinha as well as West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen are among those players so is Charlie Cresswell and Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz.

Porto winger Luis Diaz might also be another attacker that the Reds add to their number.

may also see some of their players leave as interest in their Champions League hero, Divock Origi rises and the player is being looked at by Serie A sides, Ac Milan and Atalanta. Their former academy player Nat Philips is also keen on a move since he doesn’t seem to be getting enough minutes at Liverpool.

Manchester City

The final club to appear in our predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers is Manchester City who are leading the Premier League above rivals, Chelsea and Liverpool. The Cityzens have possibly the best squad in Europe in terms of the quality of the players and depth in each position. Which is why they are not exactly looking to bringing in this

January transfer window 2022 players

that might help them.

They might look in to shift some players as they have already done so with Ferran Torres joining Barcelona in a £55m deal. Now there is talk of another deal with Barcelona with Aymerick Laporte going to the Catalan club and Frankie de Jong coming the other way but since swap deals are notoriously complicated, it is unlikely that this deal happens, at least the swapping part of it. Oleksander Zinchenko is also being pursued by Newcastle but the Toons have to pay a lot to prize him away from the best team in the Premier League to a team battling relegation!

And that is it for our predictions for the biggest January of 2022 transfers. You could take a closer look at the Premier League transfers in our article covering that as we tried to deliver our January transfer window 2022 predictions.

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