World Football Transfers: Top 10 Ideas of the Week

The transfer window has a limited time span, but the speculation and gossip as to who’s going where and when is forever ongoing. Everyone connected to football is fascinated by the intangible possibilities for the future of their club.

From insiders looking to be the first to an inside scoop or simply loyal fans intoxicated by the thought of star players donning their beloved home strip and kissing their cherished badge, us football followers are infinitely engaged in the rumor mill.

With the finale of the elite European competitions drawing ever nearer, the reality of those distant dreams becomes more obtainable, and the hype is ramped up with every passing week.

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was reluctant to let the Italian striker depart from Old Trafford. The recent emergence of Javier Hernandez may have softened the Scot's blow, but Rossi has gone from strength to strength playing for Villarreal and is now attracting attention from the bigger European clubs.

Tottenham and Barcelona have been mentioned in the past as potential suitors for the Italian's services, but the most recent courters of Rossi appear to be Juventus, who are said to be keen on the striker.

Argentinian, short, skillful, young and a wide attacker. Remind you of anyone? On paper Erik Lamela looks like a perfect fit to join his long-lost brother Lionel Messi in Barcelona.

However, the River Plate product is attracting attention from a number of clubs looking for a promising talent they can harness into a world superstar in a few years' time.

Tottenham and Liverpool lead the British contingent with AC Milan another continental candidate for Lamela's signature.

No surprises about this one. Alberto Aquilani was a bit of a panic buy in 2009 for Liverpool as their season spiralled out of control. 

The Italian struggled to adapt to the Premier League and soon found himself glued to the back of the bench in his tracksuit.

Aquilani has since gone out on loan to Juventus and has already played more games for the Italian club than he did in his entire Anfield career.

Liverpool have since moved on as well, with Raul Meireles gradually becoming an imperious presence in the heart of the Reds' midfield.

Aquilani has resurrected his career in Italy, and if his loan club can agree a fee with his parent club, he'll be a permanent Juve player come the start of next season.

Eriksen is one of the rising stars in world football and is following in the footsteps of many great players the Dutch club has brought into first-team prominence.

Now the biggest clubs in Europe are showing signs of interest in the attacking midfielder, and he's a player you'd expect to be the subject of a bidding war in the summer.

Most transfers are conducted on a quiet basis with the majority of deals only revealed as possibilities shortly before the deals are finalised.

How strange it is then to see a player under contract effectively sending out a "come and get me" plea to another club.

Daniele De Rossi has done exactly this to Manchester United and manager Sir Alex Ferguson, with Roma, unsurprisingly, seeming willing to complete the deal if United hand them £18m for their troubled midfielder.

It seems that at this point this transfer is subject to United's willingness to pay such a price for the midfielder.

The most expensive goalkeeper in history seemed destined to finish his career with Juventus, with whom he's won two Serie A titles and numerous individual honours.

However, Buffon hasn't confirmed his club future, refusing to verbally commit to Juve when questioned on his future plans.

Roma are said to be targeting the Italian legend, with Manchester United, in need of a new keeper, more tenuously being linked with the 33-year-old World Cup winner.

Real Madrid have spent a lot of time in the shadows of their great rivals Barcelona over the past couple of seasons, and undoubtedly the Real players are growing frustrated by Barca's dominance over the Galacticos.

Sergio Ramos is one of Real's young stars who's interested Chelsea, who are looking to add youth to refresh their aging squad for the future.

Branislav Ivanovic has done a great job for Chelsea at right back, but Ramos would undoubtedly be an upgrade for the outgoing Premier League champions. 

Didier Drogba has been arguably the best striker in the world over the past few seasons, but following the signing of Fernando Torres, Drogba's playing time has diminished and there are whispers that the Ivorian is discontented with the current situation at Stamford Bridge.

You'd imagine that there would be a long list of elite clubs willing to take on such a prolific striker as Drogba, but only Turkish club Galatasaray and Tottenham are said to be interested in Drogba's services.

When Kaka left AC Milan, he was arguably the best player on the planet, signed for the then-world record fee of €70m.

The Brazilian hasn't had the happiest of times at the Bernabeu, with injury and squad depth overshadowing his talent and limiting his opportunity to shine.

For those reasons Kaka could well be on the way out of Madrid come the summer, with Chelsea and former employers AC Milan linked with the midfielder. 

Wesley Sneijder has undoubtedly been one of the best players in the world over the past two years, leading Inter to a historic treble in 2010 and his native Dutch to the World Cup Final in South Africa.

Therefore it's fair to say that a transfer of one of the best players in the world would be the biggest transfer in the summer.

Inter's president has admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson has contacted him as to the Dutchman's availability, with Chelsea also said to have expressed interest in the midfielder.

Sneijder would obviously be a great addition for either club; £40m has been mentioned as a potential price tag on Inter's main man, and we'll have to watch on in eager anticipation.