With all the signings Chelsea made in the last transfer window, most clubs would be content to keep it low-key for the next few months. However, Frank Lampard and his side want more, and Bayern Munich defender David Alaba is on his list.
According to BILD, Chelsea are one of the four clubs leading the race to sign the Alaba, with the Austrian expressing interest in moving to London.
Chelsea Leading the Race For David Alaba
Contract Expires in June
One of the pieces of the deal that makes it so attractive for Lampard and Chelsea is that they wouldn’t have to pay a penny to Bayern for his services. The 28-year-old has rejected a new contract from the Bavarian club and has made it clear he wants to move on in the summer.
Any club who manages to seal his signature is getting a massive bargain, as the expertise that David Alaba brings to a team is not unlike that of Thiago Silva, who signed with Chelsea in the summer. Since he has been around for so many years, he is a veteran already, even at 28.
Alaba has been playing consistently in the Bundesliga since he was 18, and has won virtually everything there is to win with Bayern. If Chelsea do end up signing him, he could be an anchor in Lampard’s backline for years.
The only issue is his wage, as he is demanding a whopping £350,000 per week. That would easily make him the highest earner at the club, and they would not be sending a good message by paying him more than Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner, who are considered the future of the club.
However, with expert Marina Grasnovakia leading the negotiations, it seems very unlikely that she would give in to such incessant demands. If Alaba is willing to compromise, then Chelsea will undoubtedly be as well.
Lampard needs to decide if Alaba’s value is truly worth making him the highest-paid player in such a star-studded squad, which it very well may not be. But there’s no debating that signing him would be a massive coup.
Versatile Option
As well as his main role at centre-back in recent years, Alaba can play either full-back position (although primarily left-back), both defensive and central midfield, and he even plays as a No. 10 for Austria. Practically the only positions he hasn’t played in his career are goalkeeper and striker.
With Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell certainly one for the future as well as the present, if Alaba does sign he won’t be starting on the left. Similarly, the club are targeting Declan Rice, and look well-stocked in the midfield either way. However, at centre-back, their options could look rather thin next season.
Although Silva has been a revelation, he is 36, and can’t have more than two or three years left at the top. This means that a new centre-back will surely be required in the coming years, and that man could be Alaba.
However, he could also cover for Chilwell on the left, as well as Reece James on the right and N’Golo Kante at the base of the midfield.
Alaba would certainly be a very valuable signing, especially on a free transfer, so Lampard will be desperate to pull this signing off.
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