'Silly season' arrives as transfer window opens

(Eds: APNewsNow. With AP Photos.)

LONDON (AP) - Expect fevered speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, Frank Lampard and Theo Walcott to be flying around for the next month.

Yes, the "silly season'' has arrived.

European soccer's January transfer window opens for business Tuesday, giving clubs a month to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season.

Top teams operating with strategic transfer plans, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United, rarely do major deals in this period, with their likely targets usually tied up by Champions League restrictions and their managers put off by inflated prices.

However, an inspired January signing could make the difference between winning the title, getting into Europe or surviving relegation, meaning plenty of deals will go through over the next 31 days.