David Alaba from FC Bayern is hot on the transfer market.
Now a heavily indebted top club is apparently getting involved in poker - FC Barcelona.
Update from March 10, 12.20 p.m.:
David Alaba in the FC Barcelona jersey?
This idea is becoming more and more real.
The Spanish daily
Mundo Deportivo
reported on Tuesday evening of an "oral agreement" between the Austrian and the Catalan club.
For a long time Real Madrid looked like the designated buyer for Alaba, now the closest rival seems to be intervening.
Decisive for the turnaround is the new Barca president Joan Laporta, who is arguably strongly committed to signing the defender.
This approach is astonishing from the financial point of view: FC Barcelona is actually heavily in debt and cannot afford an expensive player like Alaba.
It can be assumed that agent Pini Zahavi will get the most out of his protégé - it will be exciting to see whether the Messi club is willing to pay for it.
David Alaba: New club still not clear - are Barca serious?
First report from March 8th:
Munich / Madrid - David Alaba * will leave FC Bayern * in the summer, this decision is immovable.
However, the Austrian's new club is still open.
Alaba's long wait and hesitation could now pay off.
Alaba's preferred destination was and is Spain.
Real Madrid has so far been considered the top favorite, but according to
Sport-Bild
information, the offer of the royal has not yet been right.
Alaba is said to have a five-year contract and want to earn around 20 million euros gross per year.
That's a hefty chunk of money even for Los Blancos.
Especially since the contract of captain and defense chief Sergio Ramos has still not been extended.
There is haggling over salary and contract duration.
Ramos is said to have set an ultimatum until the end of March, similar to what FC Bayern did at Alaba, reports
Marca
.
Video: Is Alaba Going Loved Or Disapproved?
David Alaba: New Barca president wants to make offer
That is why Alaba's advisor Pini Zahavi is currently touring Europe and offering his clients at other clubs.
“All the top clubs in Europe are after David.
But he's the one who has to make the final decision, ”says Zahavi confidently.
To do this, he even met with club representatives from PSG, which could meet Alaba's salary expectations.
It all boiled down to a duel between Real Madrid and PSG for the services of Alaba.
But suddenly Alaba's dream club turns back into poker.
For a long time, FC Barcelona was considered Alaba's dream destination, but the Catalans are in dire financial straits.
As the Spanish sports newspaper
As
now reports,
however, Barca's new President Joan Laporta met with Zahavi in Barcelona last week and made the Blaugrana palatable for him.
The salary expectations are also said to be no problem despite the club's financial difficulties
.
Laporta is said to have asked for patience.
After all, he could only make an offer if he was elected president.
FC Bayern Munich: Barca President needs Alaba for Messi too
As expected, Laporta prevailed in Barca's presidential election on Sunday.
“Today was a special day, it was the most important election in the history of the club.
We want to bring the joy back, I am sure that we will achieve this goal, ”said the lawyer after the election victory.
Laporta already held the office from 2003 to 2010, even then the club was heavily indebted - with the 58-year-old at the top, the restructuring was successful.
Laporta's biggest campaign promise is superstar Lionel Messi's contract extension.
“Messi is not only interested in the money.
He wants a competitive team that can win titles, ”said Laporta, who is said to be on good terms with Messi and his family.
With a transfer from Alaba, Laporta could do some convincing work at Messi.
A triple winner would certainly look good on FC Barcelona and Messi would also be happy.
(ck) * tz.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
