FRANK LAMPARD is targeting wantaway Bayern Munich star David Alaba for a New Year transfer, according to reports.
The Austrian defender, 28, has six months remaining on his current contract at the Allianz Arena.
David Alaba is a January transfer target for Chelsea as he looks set to leave Bayern MunichCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And it does not look as though he will sign an extension.
Now, according to Bild in Germany, Chelsea want to pounce.
Alaba will no doubt be at the centre of a transfer tug of war between some of Europe’s top clubs.
But the Blues may jump the queue into pole position by making a January swoop, rather than waiting until the end of the season.
That would mean having to pay a transfer fee but Bayern would surely rather get some cash for their long-serving ace.
Chelsea brought in Ben Chilwell at left-back and Thiago Silva who plays at left centre-back with both players settling quickly at Stamford Bridge.
There is already a surplus of central defenders with Kurt Zouma getting the nod ahead of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori at the moment.
Alaba joined Bayern’s youth set-up from Austria Vienna in 2008 and has made more than 400 first-team appearances for the Bavarians.
In that time he has converted from a left-back to a central midfielder to a centre-back, winning nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues along the way.
But his time looks on course to come to a bitter end with a spat between the player and the club.
In November, Alaba slammed Bayern for going public about the contract negotiations as club chiefs exposed details of the offers made – and rejected – by the Austrian to extend his stay.
Bayern’s loss, though, is set to be another major club’s gain.
As well as favourites Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain Real Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked with Alaba.
He worked with Pep Guardiola at Bayern while Liverpool desperately need another centre-back with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez expected to miss the rest of the season.
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David Alaba demonstrates his home workout for Bayern Munich fans
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
