From Sancho to Rodriguez, Pogba to Vidal: The top 25 January transfer targets

Spanish wing-back Marcos Alonso emerged as one of Chelsea's most valuable players in recent campaigns, popping up with goals and assists galore.

However, he has endured a difficult period at the club since the departure of Antonio Conte and has struggled for game time under Frank Lampard.

Conte, now at helm of Inter, is a massive admirer of Alonso and the Italian coach is reportedly keen to bring him to Serie A.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Fiorentina player is Conte's number one target in January.

A return to Spain could be on the cards for Cedric Bakambu, whose future at Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan is unclear.

The former Villarreal striker made the move to China in 2018 for a lucrative €10-million-a-season (£9m/$11m) deal, but league regulations could see that figure drop soon.

As a consequence, it is understood that his services have been touted around La Liga, with the likes of Valencia and Atletico Madrid open to making an offer.

However, Bakambu is seen as a second choice for Atletico, who are believed to be keen on securing the signature of Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani.

Emre Can's Juventus adventure has not been a particularly happy one and the Germany international has fallen down the pecking order in Turin, fuelling speculation that he will leave the club in January.

His omission from Juve's Champions League squad this season was a notable sticking point and he has been vocal about his discontent regarding his position at the club.

Tthe former Liverpool midfielder has been linked with a return to the Premier League with - interestingly - Manchester United, and some reports have even suggested that he could be used as a makeweight in a deal involving Paul Pogba going the other direction.

Atletico Madrid have no shortage of powerful, athletic forwards, but apparently you can never have too many and they are believed to be lining up Edinson Cavani.

The Uruguay international's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in the summer of 2020 so he could move on a free transfer and is considering his options. However, if a move is to happen in January, PSG will naturally demand a fee.

A fee in the region of €10m (£9m/$11m) will be enough, according to reports.

Moussa Dembele has finally found form since making a return to France with Lyon in 2018 and this season he is on course to surpass his goal haul from his debut campaign at the club. That sort of form has once again piqued the interest of Europe's elite.

Sky Sports News reports that Chelsea are keen to bring the former Celtic man to Stamford Bridge, with manager Frank Lampard said to have noted similarities between the French striker and Blues icon Didier Drogba.

With Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi not expected to be long-term fixtures under Lampard, Dembele fits the bill as a replacement in terms of being young and, most importantly, capable of regularly finding the net.

Christian Eriksen was widely expected to leave Tottenham during the summer transfer window, but a move ultimately never materialised.

The Denmark international subsequently remained in North London, but his season has been relatively underwhelming thus far and he has lost his status as an automatic starter.

While Real Madrid and Barcelona were the chief suitors last summer, it appears that Manchester United are leading the race this time round. However, such is Eriksen's wealth of talent that he remains on the radar of clubs such as Juventus and PSG as well.

Portugal international Gedson Fernandes is a target for Manchester United and the 20-year-old appears likely to leave Benfica in the near future, according to Sky Sports.

While Fernandes has a release fee of over £100m written into his contract, he is not likely to command such a fee, particularly considering he has fallen out of the team at Estadio da Luz.

However, if the Red Devils are to land him, a considerable bid of at least £35m will be expected. Benfica are also said to be open to a loan-to-buy deal.

World Cup winner Olivier Giroud looks set to depart Chelsea and he could do so as soon as January as he seeks regular game time.

Among the clubs to have been linked with the towering striker are West Ham, Rangers and, interestingly, his former team Arsenal. It has also been suggested that Giroud could return to France - something he has indicated he would be open to in the past.

Chelsea's links with Moussa Dembele have given rise to speculation that Giroud could be included in a potential deal to prise the striker from Lyon's clutches.

Former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta is in the twilight of his career, but he continues to attract suitors from across the globe.

Currently at Japanese side Vissel Kobe, Iniesta was "in talks" with Argentine club Estudiantes over a possible move according to club president Juan Sebastian Veron.

The former Spain international has also been touted for a move to Major League Soccer, with teams such as LA Galaxy, Montreal Impact and David Beckham's Inter Miami all said to be keen.

The arrival of Carlo Ancelotti into the Everton hotseat has contributed to the rise in speculation linking the Toffees to the Italian's former charges.

One of those potential targets is Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne, as Ancelotti attempts to solve the Merseyside outfit's scoring woes.

Insigne, however, is a stalwart for the Serie A club and a big offer would be required to entice them into negotiations.

It has been suggested that former Juventus striker Moise Kean could be included as a part of a swap deal.

Lautaro Martinez arrived at Inter with a reputation as one of Argentina's most exciting attacking talents and it hasn't taken long for him to be touted for a move to the higher echelons of Europe's elite, with club chiefs conceding it will be difficult to keep hold of him.

Barcelona are the club most heavily linked as they search for a successor to Luis Suarez and Lautaro has done little to quell the rumours by remarking that it is a pleasure to play alongside Barca star Lionel Messi at international level.

While the Catalan giants are believed to be in pole position, Manchester City are also reportedly in the hunt.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is attempting to usher in a new era at Manchester United and it looks like Nemanja Matic could be the next casualty of the revolution, with Inter reportedly keen.

The Serbia international has not been a regular fixture under Solskjaer, reduced mainly to Carabao Cup and Europa League duties and has acknowledged that his time at Old Trafford may be coming to an end.

“I don't know what to say. I have a contract for another six months, we'll see in January what's going to happen," Matic told Telegraf.

“Will I extend the contract or try to find something else? United have some option to extend my contract, but we will see if the plans of the club match my plans."

Pedro's sojourn to England saw him pick up a Premier League title, the FA Cup and the Europa League, but he appears to be pining for a return to Barcelona, where his career began.

The 32-year-old said that he would "drop everything" if the chance arose to play for the Camp Nou outfit again, but it remains to be seen whether such a move is in the offing as Barca attempt to cultivate a fresh generation.

A more realistic path could be MLS and it is one that has been tread by a number of decorated stars. Indeed, it is understood that New York City FC - a former club of Pedro's ex-Barca team-mate David Villa - and David Beckham's Inter Miami are interested.

Mino Raiola may have dismissed the idea of Paul Pogba exiting Manchester United in January, but he did sound a warning to the club that they need to start winning trophies in order to keep the World Cup winner.

Despite the assertions by Raiola, Pogba has been strongly tipped to leave Old Trafford in search of glory, with Juventus becoming a leading contender for his signature as they seek continental success.

Real Madrid were keen to sign Pogba during the summer, but United were not willing to sell, while Barcelona have also been linked in the past, so he would not be short of offers.

Adrien Rabiot's escape from Paris was supposed to herald the beginning of a new phase in his career, but things haven't quite clicked at Juventus yet.

The France international has found himself behind Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira in the queue, leading to speculation that he is poised to leave.

Arsenal are reportedly keen, even if it is only a short-term loan deal with an option to buy.

Marcos Rojo's decline in fortunes at Manchester United has continued under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the club are believed to be open to offers for the Argentina international.

With Rojo dropping behind young pretenders Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams, the Red Devils will be keen to shift him off their wage bill considering he is pulling in £160,000 a week.

Serie A side Fiorentina have been reported as a potential destination, as have Ligue 1 giants PSG, where former Red Devil Ander Herrera went in the summer.

Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez returned to the Spanish capital from his loan spell at Bayern Munich in the hope that he could resurrect his career with the Liga giants.

However, progress has been slow and rumours of a Premier League switch have been mounting, with Ancelotti's Everton emerging as a likely destination should a move to England materialise, according to widespread reports.

Rodriguez has also been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea in the past.

With their transfer ban now lifted, Chelsea are set to break their transfer record for Jadon Sancho as they look to revive their fortunes in the Premier League.

Former Manchester City youth team player Sancho has forged a reputation as an exciting forward at Borussia Dortmund and the Blues are ready to fork out over £70 million ($93m) for his services.

However, they will face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United, who are determined to bolster their youthful renaissance under Solskjaer and push on to the next level.

Germany international Leroy Sane was expected to make the move to Bayern Munich in the summer before he was laid low by an ACL injury, but the Bavarians are rekindling their interest this January.

It is understood that the move is back on, though, thanks to the injury and Sane's contract situation, Manchester City will probably be forced to settle for a much lower fee than the £135 million ($176m) they wanted in August.

Barcelona are expected to send Jean-Clair Todibo out on loan this January as they look to give the 20-year-old the benefit of top-level competitive action.

AC Milan are believed to be leading the race for the defender, who can also play in midfield, but Todibo will be able to choose from a number of options.

According to Foot Mercato, Todibo is also wanted by Hertha Berlin, Southampton, Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen among others.

It is widely acknowledged that Arsenal's problems lie mainly in the defensive department and new boss Mikel Arteta is expected to open the pursuit of RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano once more.

The Gunners missed out on the France under-21 international in the summer, but circumstances - the need to climb out of the bottom half of the table, for a start - could see them stepping up their efforts.

However, Upamecano will not come cheap, particularly not half way through the season at a time when Leipzig hold all the cards.

Arturo Vidal's time at Barcelona looks set to come to a premature end with the midfielder at loggerheads with the Liga champions.

The former Juventus and Bayern Munich star has been talked up for a return to Serie A in January, with Antonio Conte's Inter willing to offer sanctuary.

Nerazzurri vice-president and club icon Javier Zanetti said: "Vidal is a player with great character and experience, so we'll see what happens.

"We are talking about a player who can certainly take us up a level, and we are already at a good level."

RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and it could happen this January, according to reports.

The Germany international has been identified as a "good fit" for Liverpool, but it looks like the Reds could end up losing out to Chelsea in the hunt.

The Blues will reportedly have £150 million ($200m) to spend and Leipzig could well have their heads turned by a lofty fee.

There was never going to be redemption for Granit Xhaka when, as captain of the club, he told Arsenal fans to "f*ck off" after being booed off the field.

Since then, the Switzerland midfielder has been stripped of the captain's armband and linked with a number of clubs.

A return to Germany beckons for the former Borussia Monchengladbach man, with Hertha Berlin looking like the most likely destination.

Despite stern claims by Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace face a serious fight to keep hold of Wilfried Zaha as Chelsea step up their pursuit.

Hodgson told Sky Sports: "Wilfried Zaha is not for sale so I don't need any assurances [from the board]. We are not trying to sell Wilfried Zaha. We want to keep Wilfried Zaha.

"But what assurances can people give? I suppose I have the assurance there is no-one at the club anxious to sell Wilfried Zaha.

"Of course, you never know where bids are going to come from and I suppose every time there is a serious bid for one of your players the board of directors need to take it seriously."

Everton were also interested in Zaha during the summer, but the Toffees turned to other options after being priced out of a deal, so are unlikely to revisit.