Hot Targets In 2022 January Transfer Window

The winter transfer window is one of the most important chapters of a seasoned campaign. Making the right decisions during this window could save a club from failure and lead them to glory. Every team is seeking the best deals to improve their squad at the midseason and that leads to four weeks of madness that football fans enjoy. On the other hand, selling the players that are nearing the end of their contracts is a big challenge for directors that just makes things even more interesting.

There is a common belief that suggests clubs are not eager to spend much in the January transfer window. But that’s not true; Atletico Madrid re-signing

from Chelsea for €60m, Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal for €63.75m, Liverpool’s signing of van Dijk for €84.65m and Barcelona’s €145m spending for Coutinho, all of them happened during winter transfer windows. In every transfer window, there are some hot targets that many clubs compete over them. If you are wondering who are the hot targets in 2022 January transfer window, you have come to the right place.

The Most Wanted List of January Transfer Window 2022 Players

There are a handful of reasons that can make a player one of the hot targets in a winter transfer window. Usually, the ones whose contracts are going to expire in the following summer, are considered as an opportunity in the market. That’s because if the owning club couldn’t manage to sell them during the winter, the player will leave for free in the summer transfer window.

 Players that are looking for a new challenge, clubs that are looking for an option to fill the voids in their squad that is caused by injuries, and of course, transfer rumors soccer are among the other reasons that make a winter transfer window hotter and hotter. So, let’s get down to business and meet the

hot targets in 2022 January transfer window

:

• Corentin Tolisso

• Mauro Icardi

• Arthur Melo

• Edinson Cavani

• Ferran Torres

• Granit Xhaka

• Denis Zakaria

• Dušan Vlahović

• Franck Kessié

• Julián Álvarez

Corentin Tolisso

• Current Club: Bayern Munchen

• Position: Central Midfielder

• Transfermarket Value: €15m

• Linked To: Tottenham, Roma, Inter, Juventus

The Frenchman who won the world cup in 2018, was one of

key players from 2013 to 2017 and his brilliant displays at the club convinced Bayern to pay €41m for him. But, during the last four seasons, he never lived up to the expectations at the German side. Corentin Tolisso had a decent start on his debut season but then a devastating cruciate ligament injury forced him to sit out for almost an entire season.

Tolisso is currently 27 years old and his contract is going to expire the next June. The renewal negotiations with Bayern Munich do not look so promising. Although he is considered as one of the injury prone players and missed plenty of games due to injury, still there are many big clubs across Europe that are chasing his situation.

Soccer transfer rumors 2021

has it that Tottenham are the closest club but there are some competitors from Italy such as Juventus and AS Roma. With the estimated value of €15m, Corentin Tolisso could be a huge upgrade for any midfield line at a relatively low price.

Mauro Icardi

• Current Club: Paris Saint-Germain

• Position: Striker

• Transfermarket Value: €35m

• Linked To: Juventus, Tottenham

is one of the other hot targets in 2022 January transfer window that couldn’t mange to perform as well as expected at his current club. In the summer of 2020 when he signed for PSG for a transfer fee of €50m, he set foot in France as a lethal striker who had scored more than 100 goal for his former side, Inter. But his highest tally of goals in a single Ligue 1 season was 12 goals which are way below standards for a striker of his caliber. Also, his complicated personal life off the pitch is having a negative impact on his performance.

Altogether, moving back to Italy - his comfort zone as he was one of the most prolific Serie A players for several seasons, sounds like a good solution for the 28-year-old Argentinian striker. Icardi is heavily linked with a move to Juventus and as a former Inter captain, joining the rival is certainly a bold move. But Mauro Icardi is used to having spotlights on him, even for the wrong reasons. There is also some interest from Antonio Conte at Tottenham but nevertheless, Icardi joining Juventus could be one of the most controversial transfers in the

football winter transfer window 2022

.

Arthur Melo

• Current Club: Juventus

• Position: Central Midfielder

• Transfermarket Value: €35m

• Linked To: Lazio, Sevilla, Newcastle

Juventus are currently muddled by so many problems and one of them is their highly paid players that do not have a key role in the squad. One of them is the Brazilian

who joined the Turin side for a rather bizarre transfer fee of €72m as a part of a swap deal with Barcelona which included Miralem Pjanic. Since the return of Massimiliano Allegri to Juventus, Arthur Melo only participated in four Serie A matches which is not ideal both for the club and the player.

That’s why the 25 years old midfielder is one of the

hot targets in 2022 January transfer window

. The most recent soccer transfer rumors 2021 suggested that Juventus are evaluating a swap deal with Lazio that includes another Brazilian creative midfielder, Luis Alberto. But given that Alberto is one of the most valuable players in Lazio’s squad, making that deal is not going to be easy at all. A return to La Liga in Sevilla colors and joining the struggling Newcastle in the Premier League are the other options that Arthur Melo has for the time being.

Edinson Cavani

• Current Club: Manchester United

• Position: Striker

• Transfermarket Value: €6m

• Linked To: Barcelona, Juventus, Corinthians

The 34-year-old Uruguayan has been one of the best strikers of his generation without any doubt. He had some brilliant spells at

, Napoli, and Paris Saint-Germain before joining Manchester United in the October of 2020 as a free agent. Although Cavani has suffered from some minor injuries during his time at Manchester United, 24 goal contributions in 47 matches for the Red Devils show that he is still capable of delivering it at the top level of European football.

Due to the lack of playing time, there are some talks about Cavani seeking a new club and that is enough for the media to consider him as one of the most wanted January transfer window 2022 players. After the tragic heart-issue incident that forced Sergio Aguero to announce his retirement from football, Barcelona are in desperate need of a well-experienced striker and it is fair to say that Edinson Cavani is the best option that they can get their hand onto in this winter. Juventus also seems interested but Cavani’s deep respect and loyalty for Napoli made him to reject a move to Juventus in the past. 

Ferran Torres

• Current Club: Manchester City

• Position: Right Winger

• Transfermarket Value: €50m

• Linked To: Barcelona

A young player who wants an exit only after one year since joining his current team is quite a rare occurrence and that is the case for the Spaniard Ferran Torres. The talented right winger moved from

to Manchester City for a transfer fee of €28m which was an absolute bargain of a deal given to his high quality. On his debut season for Manchester City, Ferran Torres proved his worth by scoring 13 goals and assisting 3 in 36 games in all competitions. His successful season was followed by a delightful performance at EURO 2020.

With four goal contributions in four Premier League matches, Ferran Torres had an impressive start to the 2021-22 season as well but then a fractured foot injury put a halt to his good form. Now, his demand for a return to Spain and playing for Barcelona seems to be more serious than just some

transfer rumors soccer

as Barcelona showed its interest in signing the 21-year-old attacker. He still has more than three years to his contract and that means Manchester City are not going to let him leave for a cheap price. We shall wait and see if Barca can afford to land Ferran Torres in the football winter transfer window 2022 or not. 

Granit Xhaka

• Current Club: Arsenal

• Position: Defensive Midfielder

• Transfermarket Value: €22m

• Linked To: Roma, Juventus, Borussia Mönchengladbach  

The capable

has been too close to joining Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the last summer but the two clubs couldn’t reach an agreement over a deal. Although he signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal in the August of 2021, Granit Xhaka is still one of the hot targets in 2022 January transfer window. With 29 years old, Xhaka is at the peak of his career and there is no wonder why many clubs are monitoring him as a potential upgrade to their midfield.

Roma are not the only Italian side that showed interest in Granit Xhaka, Juventus also are looking for a midfielder with Xhaka’s characteristics to lead their young core of players. Also, Xhaka was linked to a reuniting with his former club, Borussia Mönchengladbach which sold him for €45m back in the summer of 2016. He didn’t have the best of days in Arsenal’s shirt but still, he is considered as one of the key players both on and off the pitch for the Gunners. So, if any of the mentioned clubs are willing to benefit from his services, they must pay a handsome sum of money and if you ask us, Granit Xhaka is worth it.

Denis Zakaria

• Current Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach  

• Position: Defensive Midfielder

• Transfermarket Value: €27m

• Linked To: Liverpool, Roma, Everton, Barcelona, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich

Yet another Swiss defensive midfielder is on our list of hot targets in 2022 January transfer window. At 25 years old, Zakaria has been an important player for

during the last four and a half seasons. He is a versatile player that his main position is the defensive midfield, but he can also perform well on central midfield and even on center-back. Except for a knee injury back in early 2020 that cost him to lose 21 matches, Denis Zakaria didn’t have any remarkable injury during his career and it is safe to say that he is a reliable footballer.

But his quality and consistency throughout his career are not the only reasons why he is amongst the most appealing

January transfer window 2022 players

: Denis Zakaria’s current contract is going to expire in only six months after January 2022. Therefore, the upcoming transfer window is Monchengladbach’s last opportunity to make money out of Zakaria's transfer or he will leave as a free agent. That’s why there is a hot contest going on between the top clubs across Europe to acquire the Swiss international. Roma were trying to lure him since the last summer but now they have some tough competitors such as Liverpool, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Dortmund.

Dušan Vlahović

• Current Club: Fiorentina

• Position: Striker

• Transfermarket Value: €50m

• Linked To: Juventus, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Man. United, Man. City

Vlahović’s name has been linked to European elite clubs for a couple of years but fortunately, that didn’t take away his concentration and he is getting better and better as time passes. After scoring 21 goals during the last season’s league campaign,

offered him the biggest renewal contract in the club’s history but the Serbian goal poacher rejected it. Right now, he has one year and a half remaining on his current contract and Fiorentina has put a €70m price tag on their most valuable player. Bagging 15 goals in 17 Serie A matches so far in the 2021-22 season, surely justifies that number.

He is only 21 years old but he already has more than 40 goals to his name on the Italian top flight. As one of the most exciting players on our list of

hot targets in 2022 January transfer window

, Dusan Vlahović has attracted the attention of some big names across Europe. From Spain, Real Madrid are considering him as a potential successor of Karim Benzema, Juventus are trying to make money by selling their players in order to land the Serbian giant asap, and both Manchester clubs are looking for a new number 9 and Vlahović is on their radars as the perfect option.  

Franck Kessié

• Current Club: Milan

• Position: Central Midfielder  

• Transfermarket Value: €55m

• Linked To: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid

During the last couple of years, Milan seems to be struggling when it comes to renewing with their players. After failing to renew with two of their best players – Gianluigi Donnarumma and

– and letting them go for free, it seems that the Ivorian Franck Yannick Kessié is going down the same road at Milan. It has been a few months that Milan are trying to convince the 24-year-old midfielder to renew his contract with the club but the chances of reaching to an agreement between Kessié’s agent and Milan are getting slim. With his contract ending in the summer of 2022, Franck Kessié is definitely amongst hot targets in 2022 January transfer window.

Kessié was one of best players in the 2020-21 campaign that led Milan back to the Champions League football after seven years of absence. But in the past few months, it looks that the contract renewal negotiations had a negative effect on the player’s performance and his form is facing a decline. Nevertheless, Kessié still is an attractive option on the football winter transfer window 2022 and if Milan are going to prevent losing him for free, this is their last chance. Paris Saint-Germain is reported to be keen on the Ivorian international.

and Liverpool also could benefit from a capable box-to-box midfielder such as Franck Kessié.   

Julián Álvarez

• Current Club: River Plate

• Position: Striker

• Transfermarket Value: €20m

• Linked To: Barcelona, Milan, Inter, West Ham

He is the only player on our

hot targets in 2022 January transfer window

shortlist that is playing for a club outside of Europe’s top five leagues. The Argentinian striker is having his breakthrough season in River Plate colors at the age of 20. Julián Álvarez has scored 18 goals and provided 9 assists in only 21 games in the Argentinian top flight. Yes, 28 goal contributions in 21 games, that is not a typo. With those extraordinary numbers there is no surprise that European football is going mad for him.

With 1.70 cm height, he is not one of those classic number nines that could shrug off the defenders with their big body. Álvarez is an agile and technically gifted striker who can also play on both wings thanks to his pacey legs and when it comes to finishing, he is a lethal weapon in front of a goal. Álvarez has one year left on his contract and he is available on the market for a transfer fee of nearly €20m in January. 

 is pushing for a move in the following weeks but Milan, Inter, and Barcelona are also some tempting destinations for the Argentinian starlet. 

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