Demba Ba is a target for several clubs, Thierry Henry could return to Arsenal and Wesley Sneijder is highly coveted
Arsenal
Money to spend Arsène Wenger still has a large transfer kitty. Ivan Gazidis, the chief executive, has confirmed this and, in short, Wenger can spend whatever he wants to strengthen the squad. The age-old question, though, concerns whether the manager can find sufficient value in the market or quality that represents an upgrade on what he already has.
What's needed A striker, particularly as Wenger will lose Gervinho to the Africa Cup of Nations; a left-back, as the club are open to offers for André Santos and maybe a defensive midfielder. Wojciech Szczesny is not entirely secure as the long-term answer in goal.
Who they're after Thierry Henry, on loan during the MLS off-season, Demba Ba, Wilfried Zaha and Luke Shaw are all prime targets. David Hytner
Aston Villa
Money to spend It is a case of needs must at Villa Park, which means Randy Lerner, the club's owner, will make funds available to help stave off the threat of relegation but there will be no repeat of the club-record deal that brought Darren Bent to the club two years ago. The transfer kitty is likely to be £10m at most.
What's needed Where do you start? Apart from goalkeeper and right-back, Villa need strengthening in just about every position. Experience is the key requirement, given the number of youngsters in Villa's team. A central defender, combative midfielder, striker and left-back have been targeted.
Who they're after Steve Morison, the Wales international striker who is out of favour at Norwich, Lambert's former club, is an option while loan moves for Manchester City's John Guidetti and Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone are possibilities. Stuart James
Chelsea
Money to spend Funding, as ever, is available and will be spent. The outlay may not be as lavish as two years ago, when Fernando Torres and David Luiz arrived for a combined £73.3m, but it will still be impressive.
What's needed A striker to back up Torres given Daniel Sturridge's sale to Liverpool, possibly a second striker to operate off the Spaniard, a central midfielder and, at a push, a left-back.
Who they're after The ideal remains Radamel Falcao but there is an acceptance Atlético Madrid will not sell in January, so Chelsea are monitoring Demba Ba, Bayer Leverkusen's Andre Schürrle, Barcelona's David Villa and the Borussia Dortmund pair Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski. In midfield, Corinthians' Paulinho is a target with Everton likely to retain Marouane Fellaini until the summer. Southampton's Luke Shaw and Everton's Leighton Baines have attracted interest at left-back. Dominic Fifield
Everton
Money to spend David Moyes has requested an advance on next year's television money, worth at least an extra £20m to each Premier League club, to seize the opportunity of Champions League qualification. He has not received a definite answer and a tempting offer for Marouane Fellaini is more likely to inflate the kitty.
What's needed A new goalkeeper to increase the competition for Tim Howard, more bite in central midfield and another striker to ease the reliance on Nikica Jelavic.
Who they're after Birmingham's keeper Jack Butland, the Paris St-Germain forward Kevin Gameiro and possibly the Club Brugge midfielder Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe are targets should money be available. Loan deals otherwise. Andy Hunter
Fulham
Money to spend The season's initial spark, provided by Dimitar Berbatov, has rather fizzled out and Martin Jol has conceded reinforcements must arrive next month to help his team back into the safety of mid-table. Money will be available, particularly given the sales sanctioned last summer.
What's needed Strengthening up and down the spine of the team, particularly given the uncertainty over Brede Hangeland's long-term future at the club. And both Kerim Frei and Alex Kacaniklic enjoying an injury-free second half to the season.
Who they're after Darren Bent's situation at Aston Villa has not gone unnoticed while Jol, having considered Blackburn's Paul Robinson, should finally complete the £800,000 signing of the Turkish goalkeeper Sinan Bolat from Standard Liège. The Clermont midfielder Yacouba Sylla, who is also interesting QPR, might add steel. Dominic Fifield
Liverpool
Money to spend Brendan Rodgers could be one of the busiest managers in the January window as his employers, Fenway Sports Group, seek to remedy the mistakes of last summer's transfer policy. Liverpool have almost £20m to spend although their manager is still required to remove high earners like Joe Cole off the wage bill.
What's needed As was glaringly obvious last season before Andy Carroll was allowed to leave and has been stated with monotonous regularity ever since: someone else apart from Luis Suárez to score goals.
Who they're after Daniel Sturridge appears certain to join from Chelsea and Tom Ince likewise from Blackpool. PSG's Kevin Gameiro is also a possibility and Rodgers retains an interest in Theo Walcott. Andy Hunter
Manchester City
Money to spend In theory the sky's the limit, despite the strictures of Uefa's financial fair play, so an outlay up to £50m plus wage costs would not be a surprise.
What's needed A strong back-up goalkeeper to give Joe Hart some competition and a central defender – Joleon Lescott is now fourth choice and wants a move, and Kolo Touré could miss all of January after the New Year's Day visit of Stoke City due to Africa Cup of Nations duty. Also a creative midfielder, with Samir Nasri continuing to disappoint. Mario Balotelli's troubles might also cause Roberto Mancini to consider a striker.
Who they're after Stoke's centre-half Ryan Shawcross is of interest, as is Theo Walcott whose flexibility in playing through the middle or wide is a plus, so Mancini will monitor whether the Arsenal forward finally signs a new deal to stay put. Internazionale's Wesley Sneidjer could be a replacement for Nasri. Jamie Jackson
Manchester United
Money to spend In theory anything up to £50m bracket though Sir Alex Ferguson has always been reluctant to spend in the January transfer window, so he may prefer to use any funds generated by a sale if a particularly lucrative bid for one of his more peripheral players is made.
What's needed According to Ferguson the current squad is as good as any he has had during his 26 years at Old Trafford. But with David de Gea still unsure under the high ball the Scot may be tempted if a top-class goalkeeper became available. He could also do with a defensive midfielder and a wide player as Ryan Giggs is used less and less. Long-term, a replacement for Patrice Evra is required.
Who they're after According to Ferguson no one. At the weekend he dismissed reports that Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski is on his way. Jamie Jackson
Newcastle United
Money to spend Unknown. Second guessing Mike Ashley, Newcastle's maverick owner, is a fool's game and the club is ultra secretive about transfer business.
What's needed A centre-half, a right back, a striker and Demba Ba to stay put.
Who they're after Mathieu Debuchy, the France right-back, is supposed to be arriving from Lille for €6m on Wednesday. There is also strong interest in the FC Twente centre-back Douglas and the Marseille striker Loïc Rémy. Meanwhile Ba's knee problem, wage demands and hefty agent fees mean the £7m release clause in his contract does not represent the bargain it might seem. Louise Taylor
Norwich
Money to spend Chris Hughton is unlikely to have significant cash at his disposal but Norwich have proved there are plenty of bargains to be found outside the Premier League. Alexander Tettey and Robert Snodgrass have proved cheap and shrewd purchases.
What's needed More firepower up front. Grant Holt has scored only four goals this season and the Canaries have had to rely on players from midfield such as Anthony Pilkington getting forward in support of the striker.
Who they're after Hughton failed with a bid to sign Brighton's Craig Mackail-Smith last summer and could step up his pursuit of the 28-year-old in January if Steve Morison is shown the door at Carrow Road, as seems likely. James Riach
Queens Park Rangers
Money to spend Harry Redknapp began by suggesting he would not spend if QPR's position felt hopeless in January, but he will surely not put up with this squad's deficiencies, particularly having publicly complained that too many players are being paid too much to have produced so little. Tony Fernandes will back him in his desperation to remain in the Premier League.
What's needed Most urgently, a strong centre-half and a regular goalscorer.
Who they're after Interest in Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai Shenhua is established while, if £7m can be spent on a player, they could revisit Demba Ba's willingness to leave Newcastle. Clermont's Yacouba Sylla feels like a Redknapp signing in waiting, while the manager may explore a reunion with Joe Cole. Any centre-back targeted would surely have experience in the Premier League, though Michael Dawson from Spurs or Fulham's Brede Hangeland may prove pipe dreams. Dominic Fifield
Reading
Money to spend Reading only spent about £5m last summer and they are unlikely to be convinced that a January spree is the most sensible option in their fight against relegation. However, their billionaire Russian owner, Anton Zingarevich, could always have a change of heart.
What's needed Quality all over the pitch but particularly in attack. Pavel Pogrebnyak has scored only three league goals for the Royals and Brian McDermott could do with more options than just Adam le Fondre and Jason Roberts.
Who they're after Loan signings could be Reading's best way of strengthening their squad this winter, with Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin and Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone both struggling to feature prominently at their respective clubs. James Riach
Southampton
Money to spend Southampton were one of the biggest-spending clubs in Europe last summer, with the £12m purchase of Gastón Ramírez breaking their transfer record. After steadying the ship following a shaky start, Nigel Adkins could once again be allowed to dabble in the market by Southampton's chief executive, Nicola Cortese.
What's needed Defence has to be the priority for Adkins as Southampton have conceded 37 goals in 19 league matches so far this season. They are short of centre-backs and a top-class goalkeeper.
Who they're after Birmingham City's goalkeeper Jack Butland is reportedly on the radar, as is the Cagliari defender Davide Astori. Brighton's winger Will Buckley could make the short move along the south coast. James Riach
Stoke City
Money to spend Minimal especially as Tony Pulis, the manager, has a sizeable squad and has been told by his owner, Peter Coates, to temper any outlay and focus on offering greater opportunity for homegrown players to develop.
What's needed Stoke sit an impressive eighth with 29 points at just over the halfway point so the current squad is doing fine. Pulis, though, would not turn down a consistent goalscorer as Stoke have scored only 21 goals. The left-back position requires strengthening.
Who they're after It may be more of a case of who they can keep as discussions continue with Stoke's captain, Ryan Shawcross, about him finally signing a fresh long-term deal. A contribution from Michael Owen (four substitute appearances, zero goals) would also be welcomed. Jamie Jackson
Sunderland
Money to spend Unknown. Ellis Short, the club's owner, is too canny to bandy any figures around but Martin O'Neill appears to have convinced him the squad requires strengthening.
What's needed A striker, a strong, creative midfielder and a centre-half.
Who they're after Tim Cahill on a short-term deal from New York Red Bulls during the MLS off-season and a possible loan arrangement with Manchester City for the striker John Guidetti. Long-term targets include Joleon Lescott from City, Celtic's Gary Hooper, Norwich's Grant Holt and, although unlikely, James Milner. Louise Taylor
Swansea City
Money to spend They made a tidy profit on player trading in the summer, courtesy of the departures of Joe Allen to Liverpool and Scott Sinclair to Manchester City, so there is up to £10m to spend should Michael Laudrup, the Swansea manager, find the right players.
What's needed The priority is a striker. Laudrup would happily move Danny Graham on and replace him with a centre-forward who can weigh in with a few goals to reduce the burden on Michu. A winger is also a possibility to provide cover.
Who they're after The Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas. Laudrup has spoken openly about his admiration for the 25-year-old Spaniard, although a deal is a long way off from being completed and Swansea will face competition from several other clubs. Eder, the Braga forward, is also on Swansea's radar. Stuart James
Tottenham
Money to spend The chairman, Daniel Levy, will back André Villas-Boas but the available funds would swell if the loans of David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and Danny Rose could be turned into sales, while Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini are available for transfer.
What's needed Villas-Boas has an almost fully fit squad and says that he will add nobody. Then again, he was guilty of telling a few porkies over the summer and it is not like Tottenham to remain quiet during a transfer window. The squad needs a striker and cover at full-back and in wide midfield.
Who they're after Big names from abroad – Willian, João Moutinho, Fábio Coentrão and Fernando Llorente would all cost serious money. Closer to home, Wilfried Zaha would not be much cheaper. David Hytner
West Bromwich Albion
Money to spend They spent less than any other Premier League club in the summer so there is no reason to think that there will be much money available in January, especially as Albion are enjoying such a good season.
What's needed Holding on to Romelu Lukaku for the remainder of the season – Chelsea have an option to recall him – would be a big boost. Losing Youssouf Mulumbu during the Africa Cup of Nations is a worry but George Thorne, who made his full Premier League debut at Manchester United on Saturday, could get a chance to shine.
Who they're after Few clubs plan their transfer business as well as Albion, which means panic-buying in January rarely comes into the equation. Unless Lukaku returns to Chelsea – the Belgium international has suggested he would like to stay at The Hawthorns – it is difficult to see much happening other than a few fringe players moving on. Stuart James
West Ham United
Money to spend Funds are tight as the club carries its debts and the board may point out that they helped Sam Allardyce to reshape the squad in the summer after promotion.
What's needed Allardyce says that he desperately wants a couple of new signings as the squad has suffered severely from injuries, particularly in creative positions. The big fear is that Mohamed Diamé, the dynamic midfielder, will be tempted away – he has a £3.5m release clause in his contract and no shortage of admirers.
Who they're after Marouane Chamakh, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou would all increase Allardyce's options up front, while Gaël Givet could be brought in to bolster the defence. David Hytner
Wigan Athletic
Money to spend Roberto Martínez wants "two or three in January", mainly as a consequence of the crippling injury list that has undermined Wigan for most of the season so far. An FA panel has already given the green light to the free transfer of Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza from Kansas City.
What's needed Wigan's central defenders have suffered repeated injuries this term and Martínez cannot wait forever on their recovery. More creativity from midfield is necessary too.
Who they're after The Espinoza deal is done, Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde has been training with the club since being released by Swansea in the summer and Manchester United's teenage Chilean striker Angelo Henríquez is lined up on loan. Andy Hunter
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