Source: 123football.com
Man Utd want to make Germany and Bayern Munich wunderboy Michael Ballack the highest paid player in the Premiership from January with a reported £6 million wage package. The move came after Bayern withdrew its own contract offer following a lack of progress in negotiations with the 29 year old.

For his part, Ballack has hit back, saying he isn't holding Bayern to ransom, using the tried-and-tested line that he wants to play outside his home league before he retires.

Ballack's arrival would fill the void left by the probable retirement of Roy Keane, who is reportedly in line for a £5 million testimonial match at the end of the season as a golden parachute. However, Deportivo's Aldo Duscher, the man the broke Beckham's foot before the 2002 World Cup, says he wants that open spot.

This is the second best part of the annual football calendar globally, when the transfer talk starts to quicken ahead of the January transfer window. While there were a few big moves in late summer ahead of the current season, we could see some A-list players shifting sides after Christmas. But with so many potential targets already cup-tied, the second half of the Champions League season could be without some major names.