With Atletico Madrid having concluded their schedule for 2014, the Spanish champions will undoubtedly be eyeing the January transfer window as an opportune time to bolster their squad ahead of what looks set to be another pair of deep runs in La Liga and the Champions League this season. 

Just four points back from league-leading Real Madrid in Spain, Diego Simeone‘s men are within striking distance provided they don’t waste any time in the defence of their league title. Also drawn favourably with Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 in the Champions League, the capital club is again a dark horse to upset some of Europe’s heavyweights in the knockout phase of the continental competition, but they may need to reinforce the squad to do so. 

But how can Atletico add to their squad without spending a fortune in January?

Let’s have a look at some options for Simeone that could strengthen Los Colchoneros‘ quest for more titles in 2014-15. 

Zakaria Bakkali

Atletico Madrid were widely expected to sign Zakaria Bakkali from PSV Eindhoven last summer, but the deal fell through when the player couldn’t agree to terms with the Spanish champions. 

According to RTBF (h/t Inside Spanish Football), Atleti will finally land his signature this January with the Eredivise club ready to get what they can for a player who has refused to extend his contract beyond next summer. 

At just 18 years of age, Bakkali has already represented Belgium at international level and is the sort of fleet-footed forward who could give extra punch to Diego Simeone‘s attack. 

Comfortable with both feet and on either wing, the PSV player would complement the strength of physical forwards such Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia already residing at the Vicente Calderon. 

And valued at just £2.2 million by Transfermarkt while on a deal that ends in June, the Belgian shouldn’t be too expensive for the Spanish champions this January. 

Fernando Torres

Based on what we’ve seen from Fernando Torres in recent years, many may question why the addition of the Spaniard could be considered a positive move for Simeone and Atletico Madrid. 

After switching from Liverpool to Chelsea, Torres endured a horrid run and now finds himself on loan at AC Milan—a place where he’s found it equally difficult. 

But could a homecoming finally snap the former Liverpool star out of his malaise?

Possibly. And it might be worth a try. 

Spanish outlet AS have reported that Atletico have identified Torres as a possible target in January, with the club weighing up a sale of the rarely-used summer signing Alessio Cerci to make room for the Spaniard.

Essentially, Atletico are looking for a player to fill the role performed by David Villa last season as a secondary striker. Valued at just £6.16 million by Transfermarkt, Torres could be that player (rather than burdened with the primary striker role) and Simeone might be able to completely neutralise the cost of bringing Torres to the Vicente Calderon by selling Cerci, who is a target of Inter Milan. 

Better again, Atletico might even be able to land Torres for free, with the Mirror reporting that Chelsea are open to letting him walk at no cost if AC Milan cancel their loan of the Blues’ striker. Meanwhile, The Guardian has reported that Atletico and Milan could reach a temporary deal for the 30-year-old between themselves—something that Chelsea would only need to sanction. 

Lukas Podolski

Starts have been few and far between for Lukas Podolski at Arsenal, who, despite being a fine goalscorer, can’t break into a forward setup containing Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and, at times, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 

As such, AS, in the same report as above, have indicated that the German is another target for Atletico Madrid as the club hunts for options to bolster an attack that has looked somewhat laboured at various stages this season. 

Still contracted for another 18 months, Podolski is currently valued at £17.6 million by Transfermarkt. But at 29 years of age and stuck on the outer of his current club, one feels that figure is higher than what Arsenal might accept for the forward they signed for £10.9 million in 2012. 

Additionally, GianlucaDiMarzio.com (h/t Metro) has indicated that the Gunners might be interested in bringing Cerci to the Emirates Stadium, meaning both clubs could nullify the cost of their new acquisitions with the sale of the their incumbents. 

Given that Podolski is a lethal finisher, he could be exactly the sort of secondary forward Simeone is looking to pair with Mandzukic. 

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Arturo Vidal was consistently linked with a switch to Manchester United from Juventus during the summer, but a move never materialised.

However, he has never stopped being linked with the Red Devils, and the Chilean has never categorically ruled out the possibility of a departure from Juve.

In his most recent response to questions about his future, he said he was happy in Turin, per the Daily Star‘s Colin Harvey: “My future? I am ready to marry my wife, I’m happy, I have a life here, a house, I’m good in Turin. The best team Juventus is in the league, we are first and we won three league titles in a row. Of course Roma is strong, with great players, and will fight to the end.”

However, that will not stop Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal from pursuing the 27-year-old central midfielder, nor will the fact that Vidal has been somewhat underwhelming so far this season, per Italian football expert Adam Digby:

Vidal is a superb player, able to contribute both in defence—by disrupting attacks with his strong and effective tackling—and attack, providing assists and goals alike.

If he were ever to make the move to United, he would be a blockbuster addition to the midfield, but a January move seems highly unlikely. Andy Brassell discussed some more realistic new-year targets with B/R UK’s Ryan Bailey below:

January may, though, see the departure of Adnan Januzaj from United but only on loan so the young Belgian can get more first-team play.

Januzaj broke into the first-team setup last season under David Moyes, who is now looking to link up once again with the 19-year-old by taking him on loan to new club Real Sociedad. Inter Milan, Hull City and Everton are also reportedly interested, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

It could potentially be a very smart move for the Red Devils as, with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney in the side, Januzaj has failed to claim a consistent place under Van Gaal.

However, the Belgium international is a terrific prospect, as he showed often last season, per StatsBomb’s Ted Knutson, and he could be a real asset for United in years to come:

He needs game time in order to improve on his vast potential, and a loan move would no doubt allow him to progress further with more minutes under his belt.

The key question for Van Gaal should he choose to send Januzaj out on loan is whether he should go abroad or stay in the Premier League.

It would arguably be better for United and Januzaj if he stayed in the English top flight in order to gain more experience in the division he will hopefully come to star in with the Red Devils. 

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With his Inter Milan side struggling again this season, and the youngster having second thoughts about his future at the club, is now the time to rekindle the old flame and bring Mateo Kovacic to Manchester United?

Last month, Croatia national team captain Darijo Srna advised his team-mate that leaving the Nerazzurri for pastures new would be in the best interests of his career. Speaking to 24 sata newspaper, via Inside Futbol, Srna openly stated how he thinks staying at the San Siro is hampering Kovacic’s development and that there are better options for him.

“Kovacic is one of the best young players in Italy,” Srna said. “But if he wants to prosper, he must change his path. He would improve quicker if he were at a better club.”

Now, Srna surely knows better than to go public with such a strong opinion about another player’s business seemingly out of the blue. The 32-year-old captains both Shakhtar Donetsk and Croatia, and if he said that, he must have had a reason. There should be little doubt that he had also discussed it with Kovacic beforehand.

But wasn’t he just stating the obvious?

Inter are a far cry from their glory days under Jose Mourinho, who brought them the Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League treble back in 2010. They failed to qualify for the Champions League in three consecutive years and this season they don’t even look like proper candidates for a spot in the elite continental competition. Currently they occupy 11th place in the league table.

It remains to be seen whether the recent return of Roberto Mancini at the helm—announced just four days after Srna’s statement—can shake things up a bit and improve the club’s fortunes. There has been little evidence to support that so far, but it’s still very early to make any conclusions.

Meanwhile, Kovacic made headlines last weekend for scoring a wonderful volleyed shot in a 2-2 draw against Lazio at home. But earlier this month, when reports of him signing a contract extension with Inter appeared, he was quick to deny them.

“We’re still talking about it,” he said, via Football Italia. “I want to renew, but I already have a contract until 2017.”

At the same time, Inter director Piero Fassone admitted, that both Kovacic and Mauro Icardi may be allowed to leave should an offer from a big club arrive. “I’ve learned that no player is off the market in football,” he told Corriere dello Sport, via the Daily Express. “If a big club arrives that wants them, at some point it would be right to make them happy.”

Kovacic has been on Manchester United’s radar for a long time. They have been closely following his progress since he was with Dinamo Zagreb and had considered bidding for him back in January 2012, as per Goal’s Greg Stobart, but they gave up upon learning about the £10 million price tag. A week later, the youngster was snapped up by Inter Milan.

The interest was renewed last summer and a €30 million offer was rejected by Inter, according to Corriere dello Sport, via Manchester Evening News. Could now finally be the time to complete the mission and bring the much coveted midfielder to Old Trafford?

Surely one of the brightest prospects the club has seen in recent years, Kovacic is currently Inter’s best rated player, according to WhoScored.com, and there’s little doubt he has all the qualities to succeed at the top level. He’s still only 20 and very much a work in progress; finding the right position for him in the team has been one of the main issues during his two-year stay in Milan, while giving him the No. 10 shirt previously vacated by Wesley Sneijder, and expecting him to lead the team put an enormous pressure on the kid’s shoulders.

Moreover, Inter are not exactly best known for developing young talent, and the team may not offer the ideal setting for Kovacic to flourish. He has improved since joining the club, but the impression is it all could have happened faster, and that the player could have achieved more already with the right guidance.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal knows how to deal with young players and Kovacic has world-class potential, and he can still be moulded into a number of roles for the team. He certainly could—and should—be better than either Juan Mata or Ander Herrera in no more than a year or two. He also has the experience of playing in a 3-5-2 system, which is not insignificant.

Darijo Srna’s statement suggests Kovacic might be planning his future away from San Siro and there has been no further news about him possibly extending his contract with Inter. If he doesn’t, it may mean Inter will want to cash in. If United still want him, they should try to get him now—or they might regret it a few years down the line…

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Napoli defeated Juventus 6-5 in a penalty shootout to claim their second Italian Super Cup following a 2-2 draw Monday evening at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral made the decisive save in the ninth round of penalties, denying Simone Padoin to give the Partenopei their first Supercoppa triumph since 1990.

Twice Juventus led through Carlos Tevez, who scored in the fifth and 106th minute. But twice Napoli equalised through Gonzalo Higuain, first in the 68th minute and again two minutes from the end of extra time to send the match to penalties.

Juventus qualified for the Super Cup as Serie A winners last season, the Bianconeri claiming their third straight Scudetto. Napoli qualified as Coppa Italia champions. The match was originally scheduled for August but was moved back due to Napoli’s participation in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.

Both teams will now head into Italy’s brief winter break, with neither playing again until early January.

Juventus will resume their pursuit of a fourth straight Serie A title on Jan. 6 with a home match against Inter Milan. The Bianconeri finished 2014 with a three-point lead atop the table.

Napoli, who ended the year level with two other teams for third place, will resume their bid for a Champions League place with a match at Cesena on Jan. 6. At the end of the season, the top two teams in Serie A qualify automatically for the Champions League, with the third-placed team entering the play-offs.

Juventus needed little time to open the scoring, taking the lead following a defensive miscue by Napoli in the fifth minute. David Lopez put his side under pressure with a wayward backwards header in Napoli’s half, and centre-backs Raul Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly collided while trying to clear the danger.

The ball trickled to Tevez, who had a free run on goal behind the defence. After dribbling into the box, Tevez finished through Cabral’s legs for the opening goal.

Napoli responded well, Jose Callejon shooting over the bar from a tight angle in the sixth minute. Ten minutes later, Marek Hamsik had a low shot deflected on to the base of the near upright.

Tevez volleyed straight at Cabral in the 22nd minute following a Fernando Llorente knockdown. A minute later, the Argentine shot low again from distance, but Cabral saved comfortably.

At the other end, Hamsik rifled an effort just wide after wriggling free along the edge of Juve’s box in the 25th minute. Ten minutes later, Higuain curled another shot over the bar.

Juventus’ Stephan Lichtsteiner and Arturo Vidal created a chance in the 38th minute, working a one-two down the right flank before Lichtsteiner shot at Cabral from a tight angle.

Napoli’s best chance came in the 42nd minute as Higuain curled a powerful shot on target from the left flank. The ball appeared set for the corner, but Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon dived to his left to save.

Still trailing by a goal at half-time, Napoli missed a big chance to equalise in the 54th minute. Hamsik sliced open Juve’s defence with an angled ball to Callejon on the right. With time to pick his spot, Callejon rolled his shot wide of the far post.

Napoli were well on top, and in the 60th minute, Higuain flicked a looping shot over Buffon and on to the opposite upright from a tight angle on the left. 

An equaliser felt inevitable, and in the 68th minute it finally arrived. Jonathan de Guzman created the chance with a strong dribble down Napoli’s left flank, blowing past his marker before crossing into the middle. Unmarked in front of goal, Higuain nodded in from six yards to make it 1-1.

Juventus had been clearly second best in the second half, but the Bianconeri had a clear chance to retake the lead in the 73rd minute. With his back to goal inside the box, Llorente chested down a Paul Pogba cross for Tevez. But Tevez’s scuffed shot bounced straight to Cabral, who held comfortably.

Chances became scarce as full-time approached. Juventus created a bit of danger with a quick break in the 86th minute, but the move ended fruitlessly after Vidal dragged a low shot well off target. In the 90th minute, Tevez poked wide from 12 yards following good build-up play by Juve.

In extra time, Tevez blazed over in the 91st minute with Juve’s first shot. Roberto Pereyra curled a fine shot on target five minutes later, but Cabral stretched to save.

Llorente had the next chance, turning and shooting off target in the 98th minute. Juventus came close again in the 101st minute, when Koulibaly cleared Vidal’s low shot off the line.

The Bianconeri had been the better side throughout the first half of extra time, and moments after the restart, they were rewarded with the go-ahead goal.

 Pogba slalomed through two defenders along the edge of the box and laid off for Tevez, who allowed the ball to roll past him in order to set up his right foot. After spinning 180 degrees, Tevez deposited an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner at the far post. 

Juve still had work to do, though. In the 111th minute, Buffon was called into action to save one-on-one against Higuain. Two minutes later, the goalkeeper had to come off his line alertly to clear danger following a mix-up at the back.

Napoli were almost finished, but with two minutes left, the Partenopei pulled level. Walter Gargano played a speculative cross into the box from the right and Higuain pulled the ball down between defenders before shooting past Buffon for a last-gasp equaliser.

In the penalty shootout, Buffon made three saves to give Juve a good chance. But the Bianconeri were wasteful, missing the target twice while Cabral produced two saves to give his side the win.

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Liverpool are shaping up for a busy summer of comings and goings at Anfield but have seen their attempts to sign Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette blocked, while Lucas Leiva looks set for a Merseyside departure.

Lacazette is one of Ligue 1’s most sought-after talents at present, having opened his 2014-15 campaign with a prolific record of 17 goals in 19 league games.

However, Lyon manager Hubert Fournier has warned potential suitors off his star. He was quoted by French radio station RMC (h/t Massimo Marioni of Metro) as saying:

“I’m not the best person to speak about it. If it was only up to me, of course I would like him to stay. But the president has rather reassured me, and above all, I don’t get the impression Alexandre wants to leave during the January transfer window.”

Attack is one area in which Brendan Rodgers would understandably look to add a touch more class if given the opportunity, having watched summer signing Mario Balotelli struggle in the absence of Daniel Sturridge.

Bleacher Report’s Ryan Bailey was recently joined by former United States international Janusz Michallik to discuss Liverpool’s ideal January transfer window:

Divock Origi was loaned straight back to Lille after being signed by the Reds this past summer, but Rodgers needs a reliable figure at the head of his forward line now.

Andy Scott of Agence France-Presse and Squawka outline what esteemed company the Frenchman is currently keeping:

With Lyon currently trailing Ligue 1 leaders Marseille by just two points and Liverpool currently 10th in the Premie League, January may not be the most ideal time for Lacazette to move as far as his ambitions are concerned.

It’s for that reason Rodgers may indeed be forced to wait until his target can be convinced to complete a switch, with his current setting presenting a much more pleasing prospect at present.

Lucas may also receive a boost in ambitions this winter after it came to light that Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini is hoping to lure the Brazilian to the San Siro.

On Monday, the former Manchester City helmsman was quoted by the Press Association (h/t Daily Mail) as speaking highly of the South American’s talent, stating: “Lucas is a great player but he is a Liverpool player and it will be hard to get him. It certainly would be useful to us as he could help our youngsters grow.”

Lucas has become something of a peripheral figure under Rodgers, with the trio of Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen rising to prominence as the former has struggled to maintain fitness.

However, The Guardian‘s Alex Hess looks to the statistics to prove why Lucas should be considered as a more crucial part of the Liverpool setup:

Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports doesn’t appear to agree with Mancini’s motives and is evidently surprised by the Italian manager’s statement:

Given the Reds’ current mid-table plight, Rodgers may not be open to the idea of allowing any players to leave his squad and instead choose only to add further strength.

However, if Inter were serious in their interest and submitted a suitable offer, Liverpool may well capitalise on the chance to reinvest further in areas which are in deeper need of reinforcement.

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If you needed a reminder that Mario Balotelli can be hard to manage, his former boss at Inter Milan provides it with a tale of how the striker once missed a meeting with him to go and watch Formula 1.

Mourinho tells Clare Balding that he had scheduled the meeting in advance, but when the time came and Balotelli had not arrived, Balotelli picked up his phone at trackside and insisted that while he could have a meeting with Mourinho any day, Formula 1 only rolled into town once a year.

The current Chelsea manager insists he laughs about the incident now—but you can be pretty sure he didn’t at the time.

The full interview with Mourinho on BT Sport is set for Christmas Day.

[YouTube, The Clare Balding Show]

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Paris Saint-Germain’s 0-0 draw with Montpellier HSC on Saturday meant that the French champions ultimately finish 2014 in third place in the Ligue 1 table after Olympique de Marseille beat Lille OSC 2-1 and Olympique Lyonnais thumped Girondins de Bordeaux 5-0.

The capital club have endured a frustrating first half of the season and can consider themselves fortunate to only be three points behind Marcelo Bielsa’s men and one behind Hubert Fournier’s charges in truth.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc has plenty to consider over the winter break, while Les Parisiens are in Morocco to play Inter Milan in a questionably timed friendly. Le President cannot afford for his men to come out of traps slowly at the start of 2015 as a third consecutive title would then really start to slip from their reach.

As it is right now, it should serve as a wake-up call to the players. They need to show Ligue 1 more respect on a weekly basis and this is one of the off-the-field issues Blanc must tackle before January 10.

However, there are two other major headaches also in need of Blanc’s attention.

First of all, is the alarming decline of Thiago Motta since the start of the season. The Italian has been PSG’s weakest link for the majority of the first half of the campaign and it has stretched on for too long to be considered just a minor blip.

Motta appears to have aged by one or two years between this term and last. The Azzurri man is a noticeably weaker force in the middle of the park and the team are suffering from this because of his importance to PSG’s possession-based game and the fact that he now makes the midfield three far more static.

The second issue is the defence. Up until recently, summer signing David Luiz and Thiago Silva had fared well and looked relatively solid at the back. A 3-1 defeat away at Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and a 1-0 loss at EA Guingamp in Ligue 1 exposed the pair’s limitations though and now the back line looks a shadow of its authoritative former self.

PSG have conceded the same number of goals this season as they had at this point last campaign, but the team are six points and 12 goals worse off. Eight clean sheets from 19 games so far this term compared with nine last illustrates a slightly weaker defence, but the major difference is that the team are not as free-scoring and that places added importance on the number of clean sheets recorded.

For the start of 2015, at least, Blanc must consider tweaking the defence and midfield of his team before he starts to look at the issues in front of goal. Silva and Luiz would benefit from some time apart because of the pressure on the pair at present. The former has particularly suffered, with his recent loss of form linked to his being stripped of the Brazil captaincy and recent injury lay-off.

The French press, not to mention the wider European and world media as well, have been waiting for Luiz’s FIFA World Cup nightmare with the Selecao to come back and haunt him since he made the move to Paris.

Two shaky games against Barcelona and Guingamp have been enough to see him singled out and almost exclusively blamed for PSG’s recent lack of defensive solidity, when realistically it is as much Silva’s fault.

Both players need some time apart from one another and this could actually provide Blanc with the answer to Les Parisiens’ current midfield and defensive issues.

Luiz is not a central defender. The Frizzy-haired Brazilian may be capable of playing there, but it is certainly not his natural role. The PSG No. 32 is too adventurous and too technical to be deployed at the back, so moving him into the midfield could be the solution.

At Chelsea, Luiz was often played in defensive midfield instead of centre-back and his best performances under Jose Mourinho came in that role. Moving the 27-year-old into Motta’s deep-lying midfield berth and bringing Marquinhos into the starting XI in place of the Italian would make the two positions stronger than they are at present.

Luiz does not possess the same metronomic passing ability and vision of Motta, but he would make the midfield three far more dynamic than it is at present. Marquinhos, who was outstanding earlier this season when relied upon because of injuries to both Silva and Luiz, would also strengthen the centre of defence.

If Blanc can make these two changes by the start of 2015, then PSG will arguably start the year in better shape than they finished it. Dropping Motta may cause a rift or two because of his status as one of the club’s most influential players, but his influence has gone from being a positive one to a negative one at present.

Whatever he does on the pitch, Blanc must remove Motta from the fray. However, PSG’s problems run deeper than just two simple positional changes and work on the team’s mentality and attitude is also a must during these next two weeks.

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