David Alaba keen on Barcelona move ahead of crunch talks with Bayern Munich
Barcelona are reportedly preparing a bid for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.
The Camp Nou club want to sign the Austrian to provide competition for left-back Jordi Alba, according to ESPN FC sources.
Alaba’s representatives offered the versatile defender to Barça a few weeks ago and the 27-year-old is now considered a top target for the La Liga club.
Alba is currently the only left-back in Ernesto Valverde’s squad, while Alaba's’s experience and ability to play in a variety of roles, including centre-back, make him an attractive proposition.
"The player is interested in coming," a Barça source is quoted as saying.
"It's a complicated operation, but not an impossible one."
Bayern are likely to drive a hard bargain for Alaba, who has two years remaining on his contract, despite the player’s eagerness to make the move happen.
The Catalan club are therefore considering alternative options, including Augsburg’s Philipp Max and Junior Firpo of Real Betis.
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Max has been tracked for the last year by Barcelona, but they could face competition from Borussia Dortmund.
Junior could be allowed to leave Betis for less than his €40 million release clause, but he is considered the third-choice option by the Catalans.
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.