Real Madrid have been going all-out to secure the services of versatile Bayern Munich player David Alaba. The Bavarian giants have slapped a €80 million price-tag on the player, but have now told Real they will sell him for cheaper if they throw in one of their star players in the deal.
Los Blancos had approached Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich earlier in the summer over the possible transfer of their Austrian midfielder David Alaba. They have had a €50 million bid rejected already, but are now on the verge of offering an improved €65 million fee for Alaba, according to Spanish publication AS. Although Bayern have previously stated with conviction that they wouldn’t be selling the player, the report adds that the Bavarians would consider the deal if Real offered a player along with the cash amount.
A few weeks ago Bayern had reportedly asked for 23-year-old French defender Raphael Varane but are now asking for the full €65 million as well as Portuguese central defender Pepe.
The 33-year-old center-back has been a mainstay of the Real defence for almost a decade now, and he is fresh off winning Euro 2016 with Portugal. The La Liga giants would be unwilling to lose their star central defender; this could be construed as an attempt by Bayern to ward off further interest.
David Alaba is believed to be happy in Germany after the arrival of new Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian has been playing him in his preferred central midfield role, as opposed to former manager Pep Guardiola. The Catalan mostly used Alaba in defence, with all his appearances in the Bundesliga last season coming as a center-back (19) or a left-back (8). He is regarded as one of the most promising young players in Europe. His distribution work is exemplary, with the Austrian international making 78.1 passes per game last season, at a success rate of 90.9%. [Via: whoscored]
The 24-year-old would thrive in the role of deep-lying play maker, and Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane could use him in place of the Brazilian Casemiro at the base of his midfield trio. However, Bayern would probably see him as a successor to the aging Spaniard Xabi Alonso. In either case, playing Alaba in midfield next season is the correct step to aid his development as a player.
