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After just four short months the havoc-wreaking transfer window is back on the agenda as the gates burst open for clubs to make desperate buys in a bid to save their season.

Lets begin with a dash of recycled ad-nauseam transfer gossip in the form of Demba Ba, whose proposed move from Newcastle United to Chelsea ‘broke down’ yesterday due to the striker’s exorbitant wage demands . But the Mirror report that talks between the two parties will resume this week as they aim to reach a compromise over his wage, with Ba declaring Chelsea’s £70k-a-week offer to insufficient. Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has begged the forward to make a decision soon, for the sake of the club, the fans, the city, the region and most importantly himself.

The Guardian have Wilfried Zaha pinned down as the most prominent name of the transfer window, reporting that Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are behind the Crystal Palace prodigy. All of those suitors don’t value the 20 year old above £10m but Palace unsurprisingly want to make the best of the situation considering their presence in the Championship. Expect the ball to roll quickly on this one once an official bid flows in.

Liverpool were seemingly under the illusion that they were still managed by Rafael Benitez when they approached Barcelona with a loan offer for David Villa as the Daily Mail reports that the Reds were met with a firm Catalan nod implying disapproval. Barca want to sell the 31 year old striker for good rather than send him out on loan, but the £16m asking fee is a turn off for Liverpool, Arsenal and possibly Chelsea too.

Talking of the men from South-West London, Ashley Cole might not be off to PSG after all as the French club’s Sporting Director, Leonardo, declared to ESPN that the club hadn’t made any contact with the left-back. Cole’s contract expires at the end of the season, thus fuelling wild speculation regarding his future with everyone from PSG to Real Madrid and Man United being linked with the Englishman. Chelsea still haven’t offered Cole a concrete extension offer by his wishes so expect this thread to continue for ages.

Another Chelsea veteran being marginalized at Stamford Bridge is Frank Lampard and ex-Chelsea coach and Man United player Ray Wilkins has urged Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the midfielder in January. Wilkins rightly declared to the Daily Mail that Lampard still has plenty to offer on the pitch and since Sir Alex has greatly succeeded with managing the careers of his own veterans, Old Trafford could be an ideal destination for Lamps. The 34 year old recently told the press that he hadn’t been in contract talks with the club for a few weeks now and if he does receive a ring from a certain fiery Scot in the next few weeks we could witness a blockbuster move.

Arsene Wenger could enjoy more success with his bid to sign a striker from the La Liga according to Goal.com as they report that the Arsenal manager has made an official move for Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez. Wenger has made a £10m offer for the 24 year old Spaniard after seemingly giving up David Villa and ruling out Demba Ba. Arsenal are in need of another centre-forward to share the burden of goals with Theo Walcott at the moment and Lopez could be a valuable addition to the squad mainly due to his versatility.

Spicy Rumour

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup is after talent from the Iberian peninsula once again, but this time through another English club as Sky Sports feels that Bolton’s Marcos Alonso could be tempted by a return to Premier League football in January. The Swans need a new left full-back and Alonso could be the right man at the right price.

Sunderland seem to have a habit of picking up unwanted midfielders from Inter Milan as they recently had Sulley Muntari on loan from the San Siro and Nogerian International Joel Obi could be making a similar move across the leagues according to TalkSport. Marin O’Neill reportedly rates the 21 year old very highly and hopes to entice him with the prospect of first-team football, something he hasn’t managed to achieve with Inter.

Sounds Realistic

The Mirror report the shocking truth that the man keeping Mario Balotelli at Man City isn’t Roberto Mancini, but rather billionaire owner Sheik Mansour, a fact revealed by Mancini himself when pressed about the Italian striker’s future. The City boss spoke like a true cold-hearted businessman when he declared this despite the erratic striker scoring only one goal this season: Sheikh Mansour has a penchant for Balotelli, because he recognises the talent and that through him the name of City is exported to the world. What also must be taken into mind is another ­consideration – Mario was a major investment by the club and this is not a company that throws money out of the window.

Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham is in a state of confusion according to Sky Sports after the 34 year old suddenly made a u-turn on his decision to extend his loan-stay at Ipswich Town. Higginbotham is sure to leave Stoke permanently in January but his destination isn’t known as yet.

Done Deals

The Premier League’s most famous benchwarmer has left the shores of England as Tottenham allowed Carlo Cudicini to join LA Galaxy on a free transfer, with the club thanking the 39 year old for his services through an official statement on their club website. The former Chelsea stopper has been 3^rd choice at Spurs in recent times and is seeking a final hurrah to a career that stalled a decade ago.

More to follow