Alaba again confirmed to be target for Chelsea as Liverpool look set to miss out on defensive reinforcement

By Tom Canton Published: November 29, 2020 11:58 am
Last Updated: November 29, 2020 6:47 pm
Alaba again confirmed to be target for Chelsea as Liverpool look set to miss out on defensive reinforcement

Off the table

David Alaba’s contract situation at Bayern Munich is yet to be resolved, and with his current deal set to expire in 2021, the Bavarian side long appeared determined to sort a new agreement with the Austrian.

However, in early November, it was revealed that Bayern had retracted their offer of a 5-year-deal, which the club saw as a fair proposal.

“We submitted to David and his advisor some time ago what we think was a very good offer,” said club president Herbert Hainer.

“During the last meeting we had said we wanted clarity by the end of October. We did not hear anything until yesterday and we contacted his advisor.”

“The answer was that the offer was still unsatisfactory and we should think about it again. We then decided to take the offer completely off the table.”

The 28-year-old has been on Bayern’s books since his time in the club’s academy – playing in multiple positions in the back-four and even in midfield. For the Austrian national team, Alaba has also played in advanced midfield positions, with any club keen on his signature aware that they are targeting a top-class player in his prime years.

Chelsea swoop

Liverpool were previously linked with a move for Alaba. The Reds’ defensive frailties have become all too clear of late, amid the horrific injury issues Jurgen Klopp has been forced to deal with.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all longer term absentees, meaning January could well have seen the Reds shell out on reinforcements. Alaba was touted as a potential addition for the Merseyside club, but now it appears that Chelsea are also in the mix.

Reliable German journalist Christian Falk recently tweeted to confirm once again that the Blues hold an interest in the Bayern Munich star, whether it be in the form of a January swoop, or a pre-contract agreement for the summer. There is also talk of PSG being interested, with both clubs likely capable of meeting the wage demands which Bayern have so far failed to stump up.

Chelsea have a good history of securing free transfers. Only recently did they acquire Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr from Ligue 1. Could Alaba be their next?

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This article was edited by Conor Laird.