Top 5 moves that can happen on deadline day

It’s fast approaching, it’s almost upon on us, it’s Christmas mark two. It’s deadline day.

After a relatively quiet January, with Juan Mata’s £37.1 million move to Manchester United the most notable deal so far, it looks like a flurry of business could be concluded before Friday’s 11pm deadline.

With no-one outside the top ten assured of safety and the race for the all important European places fiercer than ever several clubs are still in the hunt for ready made replacements, temporary stop gaps, loan deals and marquee signings, so here are five players that might be dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on a contract tomorrow.

Mirko Vucinic – Juventus to Arsenal

Juventus striker Vucinic is out of favour under Antonio Conte, having made just eight appearances for the Old Lady this season. The Montenegro forward has been linked with a number of cubs across the continent, including Internazionale. The 30 year-old almost joined the Serie A rivals last week before a proposed swap deal collapsed, leaving him eager to find a new club and play regularly.

Arsene Wenger, who notoriously keeps his cards close to his chest, is in the market for a striker to provide back up to Olivier Giroud. If The Gunners are to end their trophy drought they need more fire power up front and Vucinic may fit the bill. With a 33.3% conversion rate the experienced hit man still knows where the goal is and would be a decent option to call upon, but the North Londoners will be keen not to have their pants pulled down over a loan fee.

Toni Kroos – Bayern Munich to Manchester United

The 24-year-old German’s future at Bayern Munich is in doubt following difficulties negotiating a new deal that have been compounded by his strop at being substituted by Pep Guardiola in the victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday. Kroos’ contract expires in 2015 and he has suggested he will not sign an extension unless the terms suit him.

As a result Manchester United have stepped up their interest in the Germany international. David Moyes was in the stands to see Kroos throw his toys out of the pram on Friday and it is now believed a bid for the unsettled German, that he was initially plotting to make in summer, has been ushered forward.

Having already strengthened his midfield with the signing of Juan Mata, Moyes is eager to aid new recruits to his ailing squad that are struggling in seventh place in the league. Kroos would provide a huge boost to United’s poor midfield with a passing accuracy of 92% and 86% take on success rate for the European champions. Despite The Scot insisting United can attract the best players without the guarantee of Champions League football, signing Kroos would be an excellent piece of business if Bayern are willing to sell.’

Yevhen Konoplyanka – Dnipro to Liverpool

After Brendan Rodgers appeared to have a deal sewn up for the tricky Ukrainian winger that can operate on either flank, the Northern Irishman will be devastated to hear of Tottenham’s plot to hijack the move. Having already missed out on top target Mohamed Salah to Chelsea, Rodgers will be desperate to lure the Dnipro man to Anfield.

Liverpool’s squad has been found lacking in recent weeks compared to their top four rivals and although attacking options are not a priority, Rodgers will be satisfied to get another body through the door. Konoplyanka initially impressed in a World Cup qualifier against England and excelled himself by scoring or assisting in four of Dnipro’s seven goals in the Europa League group stages this year.

Meanwhile Tottenham are looking to add fresh impetus to their squad after several big money signings in the summer have failed to acclimatise to the English game, most notably Erik Lamela. The North Londoners also harbour hopes of reclaiming a Champions League place and snatching a transfer target from under their direct rivals noses would please the fans.

Lewis Holtby – Tottenham to Fulham

One of Tottenham’s recent signings that could leave White Hart Lane is 23 year-old Holtby. The German has failed to settle since his arrival in January of last year and new boss Tim Sherwood has admitted he will consider selling the midfielder during this window. Holtby has not managed to cement a place in the side, notching up just 24 league appearances, which has not been helped by the sheer number of new additions Spurs brought in after Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid.

Holtby intends to force his way into Germany’s World Cup squad but will struggle to do so unless he is playing regularly. Having hoped to be given a fighting chance under Sherwood, Holtby is unlikely to react favourably to being deemed disposable by his new boss. A host of Bundesliga outfits are rumoured to be interested in the former Schalke 04 man, including Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund. If Tottenham win the race for Konoplyanka then Holtby may well be on his way, but time restraints could scupper the deal as one transfer could depend on the other.

Julian Draxler – Schalke to Arsenal

Finally, we reach the man that has virtually been single handedly turning the wheel and providing power to the rumour mill in January Schalke’s Julian Draxler. Arsenal have been linked with the 20-year-old for a considerable amount of time and finally sent a delegation to Germany last week to begin talks with the player’s representatives.

The youngster is one of Europe’s most coveted talents and with a huge release clause in his contract it will cost the Gunners close to a reported £30 million to acquire his services. Despite Wenger’s side crying out for the addition of a striker, it seems the Frenchman has preferred to designate a larger proportion of his budget to sign Draxler, who many believe he sees as a future centre forward.

Considering Wenger has been reluctant to spend significant transfer sums in the past it is unclear whether he would be willing to sanction the move with the midfielder already cup tied for this season’s Champions League.

But a staggering 77% take on success and 84% of tackles won does not come on the cheap and if Draxler is available, Wenger could move for his man now rather than risk competing against or being potentially priced out of a move by European heavyweights in the summer, having admitted his side were active in the transfer market but no deal was imminent earlier today.