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On the first day of January, the winter transfer window "opens", during which clubs will seek to strengthen their squad in the title race, while weaker ones will try to improve their positions in the battle for survival.
Although most clubs will likely choose to save money during the mid-season, some clubs will be forced to spend significant amounts. Experts immediately look to some of the wealthiest clubs in the world - and Madrid.
The Royal Spanish club will certainly be looking for a striker during the mid-season who could replace captain Raul, who has suffered a serious injury, with Italy's national team forward Antonio Cassano being the main candidate. It is rumored in football circles that A.Cassano, whose contract with AS Roma expires in June, is just a matter of time before he moves to Real. "Time" in this case means days.
This would benefit all three parties involved: AS Roma would receive some compensation for a player who would leave them in the summer anyway. "Real" would fill the gap in attack, and A.Cassano himself would strengthen his position in the fight for a spot in the Italian national team at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Spain's league leaders, Barcelona, do not seem to be planning to participate in the winter transfer market yet, but Swedish national team forward Henrik Larsson mentioned that he would like to leave the Catalan superclub, and Germany's Borussia Dortmund has shown interest in him.
Two mid-level Spanish clubs - Espanyol and Mallorca - are actively pursuing Birmingham striker Walter Pandiani. However, the Uruguayan, who scored the equalizing goal on Wednesday in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United, may not move anywhere in the winter. "Walter won't go anywhere until I find a replacement for him, if he goes anywhere at all," said Birmingham manager Steve Bruce.
Manchester United already have one transfer set for the first day of January - Serbian and Montenegrin national team defender Nemanja Vidic is set to move from Moscow's Spartak for about 10 million euros. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad's Turkish attacking full-back Nihat could move to Spartak.
However, Manchester United are expected to announce more high-profile transfers during the winter transfer window: after Roy Keane left the team to join Celtic, leaving a "huge hole" in the midfield, which was expected to be filled by Bayern Munich star Michael Ballack. Failing to agree on the German, Manchester United turned their sights to Tottenham defender Michael Carrick.
On the other hand, the Red Devils, who failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League and even missed out on the UEFA Cup, may wait until the end of the season to acquire the necessary players.
Arsenal, another English powerhouse, may need to strengthen their defense, especially after Frenchman Patrick Vieira left for Juventus in the summer. Furthermore, Arsenal officials fear losing the team's leader and captain, Frenchman Thierry Henry.
Since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich arrived in 2003 and spent almost $400 million on new players, Chelsea will likely be a quiet observer during the winter transfer window. The English league leaders may be joined by Portuguese national team defender Maniche, who failed to establish himself at Moscow Dynamo. Speculation about this player's move to Chelsea is fueled by the fact that the current head coach of the London club won the UEFA Champions League in 2004 with Maniche and Porto.
European champions Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Villarreal for an interesting transfer - the clubs will exchange right-back defenders: one of the most promising Dutch defenders, Jan Kromkamp, will move to Liverpool, while the unimpressive Spanish defender Josemi will return to England.
Italy may not see much activity, but AC Milan may be looking for a high-level center-back, especially after disappointing performances from Jaap Stam and Alessandro Nesta.
Another city team, Inter, may strengthen with Nigerian Victor Obinna, representing Chievo, who would replace compatriot Obafemi Martins, who will participate in the African Nations Cup in Egypt in January-February.
It is said that Sevilla's Betis defender Joaquin could move to Juventus in Italy, but the father of the attacking right-back defender stated that Joaquin would leave Sevilla very poorly this year, but not during the winter transfer window.
France and Germany are expected to remain quiet and uneventful. If there is an opportunity, Marseille will try to attract Liverpool's Djibril Cisse, while in Germany, Bayern Munich and Hamburg SV could fiercely compete for Cologne and Germany national team forward Lukas Podolski.
