Transfer news and rumours of the day: January 18, 2016

Alvaro Morata is a wanted manThe January transfer market in in full swing, with clubs searching high and low to solve their problems or augment their challenges near the top of the table. The transfer mill continues to churn out rumours at full pace, as agents work day and night to get the best deal for their clients.With players seeking out pastures anew, the reasons range from more money to greater playing time, resulting in a January transfer window that will definitely supply us with intriguing deals.Here are the transfer news and rumours for the day.

#1 Serie A

Freddy Guarin and Roberto Pereyra may swap clubs

- Juventus and Inter Milan are looking to perform a straight swap for midfielders Roberto Pereyra and Freddy Guarin, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.

Inter Milan gave been trying to offload their Colombian midfielder Freddy Guarin, for quite a while now, and with Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri being a long time admirer, hope to swap him for Argentine midfielder Roberto Pereyra, who is out of favour in Juventus, as both sides look to strenghten their respective title challenges.

- AS Roma are close to completing a deal to bring Genoa winger Diego Perotti, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.

With Gervinho reportedly on his way out of the club to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, where he will join Luiz Adriano, Roma are keen on completing a move for winger Diego Perotti as his replacement, subject to the approval of new coach Luciano Spalletti. The Giallorossi are also keen on bring Stephan El-Shaarawy back to the Serie A, who is on loan at Monaco from AC Milan.

- AC Milan and Sampdoria are competing to sign Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia, according to Gazetta World.

The Italian defender is out of favour at Inter Milan and AC Milan and Sampdoria are competing for his signature. However, Sampdoria are seen as favourites for the deal, with AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani confirming as much, saying “It’s more of a no than yes right now regarding Ranoacchia. We thought of another center-back when Rodrigo Ely was hurt, but the priority is not for another defender. We have four, but we’ll see what happens on transfer deadline day.”

#2 La Liga

Alvaro Morata is involved in a tug-of-war between Real Madrid and Juventus

- Real Madrid will be thwarted in their attempt to sign Alvaro Morata from Juventus, as the Italians’ sporting director Giuseppe Marotta confirmed with television channel Mediaset Premium.

Marotta outlined Juventus’s intentions, saying “As far as we are concerned, there is no intention to start a negotiation with Real or with another club. He’s a cornerstone of this team, he’s a youngster who has become a champ. We usually keep these kind of players. Our goal is to observe and sign those young players who can represent today’s and tomorrow’s football.”

- Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, David Alaba and Leroy Sane all interest Real Madrid, as Gazetta World are reporting that the Madrilenos will carry out a €300 million raid on the Bundesliga.

With a transfer ban hanging over their heads, Real Madrid are rumoured to go on a stunning spending spree, as they hope to pry away Bayern Munich players who are reportedly unsettled by Carlo Ancelotti’s imminent arrival. Schalke youngster Leroy Sane has been turning heads in Germany with his sparkling displays, and Madrid are also reportedly interested.

- Atletico Madrid are keen on signing former striker Diego Costa from Chelsea, as reported by Spainsh outlet Fichajes.

With reports claiming that the Spanish hitman is unhappy at Chelsea, following a disappointing season with the Blues, Atletico are keen on offering their former striker a return home. Diego Simeone’s side are faced with a transfer ban and will hope to conclude the deal as soon as possible.

#3 Premier League

Mario Balotelli may return to the Premier League for a third time

- West Ham are reportedly interested in bringing Mario Balotelli back to the Premier League, according to Gazetta dello Sport.

With Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho injured until March, the Hammers are desperate to bolster their frontline in the January transfer window. Balotelli moved to AC Milan on a season long loan from Liverpool in the summer, but Slaven Bilic is willing to spend in the region of £13 million to bring the mercurial Italian back to the Premier League.

- Pablo Zabaleta has refuted rumours that he is set to leave Manchester City, as reported by Manchester Evening News.

The Argentine right back confirmed that he will see out the season at the Etihad, saying “At the end of this season I will have one more year left on my contract. I am enjoying myself at this great club, and at the end of this season we will have a conversation with the club. I want to finish the season here and am not thinking of going anywhere in January.”

- Manchester United are keen on signing Adrien Rabiot from PSG, according to a report in Spanish outlet Don Balon.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is a big fan of the rangy central midfielder, and with the Frenchman reported unhappy at the lack of playing time at the Parc des Princes, the Dutchman will look to sign the unsettled Rabiot to bolster his midfield options.

#4 Rest of World

Edinson Cavani’s time in Paris is set to come to an end

- Edinson Cavani is set to leave Paris St. Germain, and will be chased by a host of clubs including Manchester United, according to L’Equipe.

Laurent Blanc is unwilling to change his system to satisy Cavani, who has frequently played out wide for the Parisians. With rumours of him creating unrest in the dressing room, PSG are ready to offload the Uruguayan striker for a cut-price €35 million.

- Wolfsburg have registered their interest in signing Juventus striker Simone Zaza, according to German newspaper Bild.

The Germans are amidst a striker crisis as Bas Dost has suffered a broken metatarsal and Nicklas Bendtner has reportedly handed in a transfer request. With Simone Zaza down the pecking order in Juventus, Wolfsburg are keen on signing the Italian frontman.

- Julian Weigl has committed his future to Borussia Dortmund, amidst interest from Manchester City, according to Bild.

The midfielder, who is a reported favourite of Pep Guardiola, confirmed his future at Dortmund, saying “I really don't plan on leaving Borussia. It's just not an issue for me. I can only stress that I am under contract at BVB until 2019, and I still want to achieve a lot with this club.”