Real Madrid will exercise their financial superiority over Barcelona and grab hold of the Catalans’ chief target in the next few months.
Barcelona will soon have presidential elections and there are more chances than not of a new board presiding over the club at the start of next season. Joan Laporta and Victor Font are likely to be the two frontrunning candidates to the role and it looks like the former might just have the edge, thanks to the success the club has seen under his first tenure.
Joan Laporta has acknowledged the need for a massive squad revamp and has targeted several players and managers should be able to win the election. Among those is Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, who has less than a year remaining on his contract at the Allianz Arena. The left-back’s renovation talks have stagnated, meaning an exit is imminent.
Apart from Barcelona, Real Madrid have also kept a close eye on the Austria international’s services. Unfortunately, the Blaugrana will be unable to afford his services considering an annual wage demand of 8 million euros whereas Los Blancos are ready to step up their pursuit and nab the player in January itself on a pre-contract agreement.
Zinedine Zidane’s side will sign the 28-year-old as a replacement to Marcelo, who has shown that he is not the player he was anymore. The Brazilian will be sold next summer and it is expected that Juventus will re-ignite their interest from a few years ago. Nonetheless, the transfer is a major loss to Barca, let alone an equally profitable gain for their rival.
David Alaba is a terrific player, who can also fill-in at central defence and the wings. The Bayern star’s attacking prowess is underrated as is his contribution from set-pieces. A left-back on paper, he is capable of filling all areas of the pitch, providing the highest of qualities. Losing him despite being a free agent is unideal for the Catalans, but is enforced upon them.
Who do you think Barca must sign as part of their grand squad overhaul next summer?
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