In the latest transfer news David Alaba to Liverpool is in the works, while Sergio Ramos to Manchester City is also an intriguing report.
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Let’s start with a potential arrival at Anfield, as David Alaba is a wanted man.
According to a report from the Guardian, Liverpool are pushing to sign Alaba and have reached out to his agent as the Bayern Munich star is allowed to speak with teams outside Germany and sign a pre-contract agreement from January onwards.
Alaba, 28, is out of contract at Bayern Munich in July and the report states that the Austrian defender will not push to leave in January and will instead leave Bayern when his contract ends this summer.
Per the report, Real Madrid remains his favored destination but a host of Premier League clubs are holding out hope they can convince Alaba to move to England after 12 years at Bayern Munich.
Given Alaba’s versatility and ability to play at center back, full back and in central midfield, he knows he is a valuable player, especially as a free agent. Liverpool need defensive help right now due to injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, and both of those players will be back in the summer when Alaba is available. So it would make more sense if he could arrive in January.
That said, when a player of Alaba’s quality becomes available on a free transfer you have to explore that option and Klopp could certainly use his experience, and maybe even play him alongside Thiago Alcantara in central midfield as Georginio Wijnaldum is expected to leave on a free transfer himself in the summer.
Sergio Ramos era over at Real Madrid? Manchester City linked...
Last week Sergio Ramos, 34, was linked with a move to Tottenham and it is clear the Premier League big boys are keen on signing the Real Madrid and Spain legend who is also available on a free transfer this summer.
Ramos has yet to sign a new contract at Real Madrid, and his 16-season career with the Spanish giants seems now, more than ever, to be coming towards an end.
The latest report from ESPN stats that Manchester City have reached out about Ramos about a potential move to the Etihad Stadium to further bolster their defense. The likelihood is that Ramos will remain at Real Madrid, but if he doesn’t then Man City are positioning themselves nicely to meet his wage demands and sign him.
Hmm. With John Stones in fine form, plus Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias their first-choice center backs and Nathan Ake also around, this seems like a strange one. Per the report, Pep Guardiola is said to want the experience Ramos has to help his young defenders develop.
When you hear the way Guardiola talks about the impact Vincent Kompany had from a leadership perspective, you can understand this move as Ramos is one of the most experienced players in the game.
Like the Alaba link with Liverpool above, even if you don’t really need a player in one position, if he’s available on a free transfer, especially given the financial situation over the last 12 months, it is a deal worth looking at.