Manchester United are hunting David Alaba for some serious experience to add to their squad
(Image credit: Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Manchester United are chasing Real Madrid superstar David Alaba, as Erik ten Hag brings his side closer to a title-fighting standard.
The Red Devils are on the cusp of a couple of deals after landing Mason Mount from Chelsea, with Andre Onana all but confirmed to join and Rasmus Holjund next on the radar. The combined cost could well exceed £160 million as Ten Hag overhauls the spine of his side.
With Harry Maguire's captaincy rescinded, however, it looks as if the Manchester United manager is targeting some leadership at the heart of the backline – and Real Madrid star Alaba has emerged as an intriguing option.
Harry Maguire looks set to leave Manchester United after four years (Image credit: Getty)
According to Spanish title Nacional, the Austrian stalwart is wanted to bolster the numbers in defence – giving Ten Hag an intriguing selection headache.
Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw were two of United's best performers last term, with the former playing centre-back and the latter primarily at left-back – though he filled in centrally on occasion. Both, presumably, would keep their spots as first-choice options in the defence.
But with United also needing a player excellent in buildup and capable in the second phase of play, Alaba may be used deep in midfield alongside Casemiro. He has rarely played there at the top level but according to Le Parisien (via Bild), he allegedly wanted to leave Bayern in the first place in order to play there.
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Lisandro Martinez presumably keeps Alaba out of the team… at centre-back at least (Image credit: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
The 31-year-old's move to Madrid coincided with another defensive crisis of sorts, as Los Blancos sold Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane – meaning that he has never got to play in midfield for Ancelotti.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
