Pranav Nair
Manchester United boost as Chelsea baulk at David Alaba wage demands
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Chelsea have hit a roadblock in their efforts to land Manchester United target David Alaba.
The Austrian ace is in the final six months of his contract at Bayern Munich. With negotiations regarding a new deal getting nowhere, he is expected to leave on a free in the summer.
While Alaba has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, a switch to the Premier League has not been ruled out. It is believed that Chelsea are leading the race to land the player should he come to England. (h/t Express)
As one of the biggest names to become available on a Bosman in recent years, Alaba is hot commodity. At 28, the Austrian is also in the prime of his career and will be ready to perform from the onset.
While Chelsea are keen on Alaba, they have been put off by his massive wage demand of £400,000-a-week. Accepting the player’s demand would make him the club’s highest-paid player by some margin.
That distinction is currently held by French ace N’Golo Kante, who earns £295,000-a-week.
Real Madrid too has not been exempt from the adverse impact coronavirus has had on football. The Spanish giants are keen on bringing in Alaba to replace Sergio Ramos, who looks set to leave in the summer.
Los Blancos were keen for the Spaniard to take a pay cut and it remains to be seen how they will react to Alaba’s demands. If all goes well, United could very well land both Ramos and Alaba in the summer.
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While Chelsea’s hesitancy will give United hope, a move will also need us to break our wage bill. As things stand, David de Gea is the club’s top earner at £375,000 per week.
With a lucrative new deal in the pipeline for Bruno Fernandes, it remains to be seen if United are willing to bet big on Alaba. With Paul Pogba looking to be on his way out, there is yet hope that a sizeable chunk of the wage bill can be freed up.
