Despite major financial problems, Barca Real Madrid are said to want to outsmart David Alaba’s poker. The new president is decisive.
In transfer poker for Bayern Munich’s outgoing central defender David Alaba, FC Barcelona is apparently serious about its newly elected President Joan Laporta.
Like the Spanish sports daily AS reported that Alaba’s advisors Pini Zahavi and Fali Ramadani met with Laporta last week. He is said to have asked the Alaba side for patience until he is elected president and can make an offer to the player of choice.
Laporta: Barca’s priority is to renew Messi’s contract
That has now happened: Laporta, who was President of the Catalans from 2003 to 2010, was elected to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu on Sunday with 54 percent of the vote. Laporta had repeatedly emphasized his good relationship with the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in his election campaign.
Aside from urgent issues such as the horrendous mountain of debt or the construction of the new stadium, it is initially his “priority to extend with Messi”, as Laporta emphasized. The 33-year-old’s contract expires in the summer, after the last season and the embarrassing 8-2 win against FC Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals, Messi wanted to leave the club due to the scratched relationship with then President Bartomeu.
Real Madrid remain favorites to sign Alaba
The basic requirement for a Messi stay in the summer is also that Laporta has an internationally competitive team at the side of the superstar despite the mountain of debt. And this is where Alaba comes in.
Quelle: Getty Images
The Austrian’s contract with Bayern expires in the summer. Alaba has also declared that it will not renew its contract. Most recently, it was only a matter of speculation as to which jersey Alaba would wear from the coming season. Real Madrid are still the favorites to sign the 28-year-old defensive player, who can defend on the left as well as inside and also calls the central defensive midfield his favorite position.
Huge mountain of debt not an obstacle to Alaba change?
In mid-January there was even a rumor that Alaba had already reached an agreement with Los Blancos on a four-year contract. However, this relegated George’s father and advisor to the realm of fables. In addition to Barca and Real, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain should also vie for the services of the Austrian national player.
The Catalans were recently given little chance in transfer poker due to the financially miserable situation and the juicy salary demands of the Alaba side (around 13 million euros per year). This could have changed since Laporta was elected president on Sunday due to the good relationship with Zahavi.
Barcelona: a big earner has to go
With the much-discussed move from Neymar to PSG thanks to a clause in 2017, Zahavi is said to have left scorched earth around FC Barcelona, but the relationship between the advisor and the new president is considered very good and could tip the scales positively be an Alaba bill.
How AS Further reports, Laporta is aware that at least one big earner would have to leave the Catalans for this. In this regard, the paper brings Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho into conversation.
– .
