January Transfer Rumours- 12 Hours 'Til The Window Opens

With 12 hours to go til the January window swings open, situations are developing and changing by the minute. Demba Ba is now expected to turn down Chelsea, following "unproductive" talks with the Blues last night. Underachieving Newcastle still look set to lose the striker however, with Arsenal and PSG willing to meet the Senegalese strikers £7.5 million release clause.

There is some good news though for the Toon Army- French international full-back Mathieu Debuchy looks set to sign from Lille for a fee of around £5 million. Debuchy is a player that Alan Pardew has been chasing for some time after impressive showings in Euro 2012, and the 27 year-old right-back should sign on the dotted line in the next few days. Excellent signing for Newcastle in my opinion- a very fast, attack-minded player that will give their side a bit more of an edge.

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha is attracting plenty of attention from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. After making his first international appearance for England in the loss against Sweden in November 2012, the Ivory Coast-born youngster announced yesterday that he was "ready for the Premier League" putting many sides on red alert, and leaving fans of high-flying Crystal Palace worried that their talisman may leave in January, which would certainly have an impact on their push for promotion. United are the current front runners for the pacey winger, and are expected to lodge an £8 million bid in January- which has absolutely no chance of being accepted. Palace are unlikely to sell for any less than £10 million with add-ons. 

Southampton will spend big in January in an attempt to plug their leaky defence and escape relegation- they have conceded an incredible 37 goals in just 19 games this season and currently find themselves occupying 18th place in the Premier League. 

Their number one target is the highly-rated Italian international centre-back Davide Astori, who plys his trade in Serie A with Cagliari. Saints boss Nigel Adkins has made a bid of around £8 million for the 25 year-old, though he faces competition from Juventus. 

Birmingham goalkeeper Jack Butland was Adkins' main transfer target in the summer, seeing a £6 million bid rejected by the Blues, but after a tough season so far in the Championship they may be forced to sell for a similar figure in January, though Liverpool are also rumoured to be sniffing around the England under-21 international. 

And finally, could former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso be on the verge of a sensational return to the Premier League? Real Madrid seem reluctant to offer the Spanish midfielder a new contract, with only 18 months to run the 31 year-old's current deal. Liverpool were reportedly interested in bringing Alonso back to Anfield in early December.