Bayern Munich are reportedly willing to let David Alaba leave the club, and a few Premier League clubs may be interested in signing the Austrian. The Telegraph have reported that the German giants want to sell the player rather than see him leave on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer.
The report states that Bayern have been trying to negotiate a deal for a year, but the two parties have not agreed on a new deal for the 27-year-old versatile defender. The Austrian has made nearly 400 appearances for the German side and has been an integral part of the team for a decade.
If Alaba was to leave Bayern Munich, which Premier League sides should target him?
Let’s take a look at 3 potential destinations for David Alaba
Manchester City
The club that will be the favourites to sign David Alaba is Manchester City, as the Austrian thrived under current City manager Pep Guardiola, who managed Alaba at Bayern Munich. Alaba’s versatility saw him play in his natural left-back position, as well as centre-back and central midfield under Guardiola.
While City do need a first-choice centre-back as a priority ahead of next season, they have also had issues regarding the fitness and form of Benjamin Mendy at left-back along with their first-choice defender Aymeric Laporte, who has also proven to be injury-prone.
City cannot go into next season without certain reinforcements and a versatile option like David Alaba could be just what the doctor ordered.
Alaba could also be used at left-back, which hasn’t been as solid as the Manchester City manager would want it to be. Alaba’s passing, speed, as well as intelligence would certainly make the squad much stronger and arm their manager Pep with a very potent weapon.
Chelsea
Chelsea, like City, need a centre-back to partner Antonio Rudiger at the back. The Blues’s defence has looked very porous and manager Frank Lampard needs to add a solid and reliable player to his defence. Alaba’s passing from the back would fit well in Chelsea’s new style of play under Lampard as the London club play on the front foot more than before.
Like at City, Chelsea also have a problem at left-back, with Emerson not showing consistency and Marcos Alonso’s defending being all over the place. And any potential move for the player will likely be towards attending to that area of the defence.
And with Chelsea going all out after a transfer hiatus, the addition of a high-quality efficient option such as David Alaba cannot be completely ruled out.
Liverpool
Liverpool are perhaps the best team in Europe currently, and it would seem that they wouldn’t need to make any additions to their squad. But, for teams to be consistently successful, they will have to add new faces to keep competition alive and take the team to the next level.
Virgil van Dijk has been supreme at the back, but he will perhaps need a new partner to play alongside him. Alaba’s addition could make the Liverpool defence impenetrable and help create more chances in attack thanks to his dribbling and playing out from the back. His energy and work-rate will fit in well in Jurgen Klopp’s style of play.
