LIVERPOOL have been handed a much-needed boost in their hunt for a defender after David Alaba’s contract talks with Bayern Munich collapsed, according to reports in Germany.
The Austrian superstar, 28, is out of contract at the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season after over a decade at the club.
However, BILD claim Alaba is refusing to sign an extension as he feels undervalued.
Alaba currently earns around £150,000 per week at Bayern Munich – miles off the likes of Robert Lewandowski (£375,000) and Thomas Muller (£300,000).
The German giants have offered Alaba a significant pay-increase – at around £200,000, according to BILD.
But the report states Alaba and his team – including dad George – feel unappreciated given his 12 years of dedicated service to the club.
Alaba is desperate to earn closer to the club’s top earners.
Bayern Munich are believed to have offered Alaba a four-year deal – with an incentivised contract potentially pushing his base wage closer to the likes of Muller.
But amid the stand-off, Liverpool will be licking their lips as they hunt for a ready-made superstar to replace Van Dijk.
The Dutchman is expected to miss the season with a serious knee injury, sustained in this month’s Merseyside derby.
Joel Matip is currently out of action too, with Fabinho – filling the gap in the heart of defence – also going down injured during the 2-0 win over Midtjylland.
With Alaba out of contract at the end of the season, he is able to negotiate pre-contract talks with clubs in January ahead of a free move in the summer.
Bayern could therefore decide to sell Alaba in January to ensure they don’t lose one of their most-valuable players for free.
And Liverpool could launch a cut-price bid for the versatile star with a view to adding him to their threadbare defensive ranks.
Alaba is currently valued at around £60million.
But by the time January comes around and Alaba has just six months left on his contract, Bayern could be forced to accept a much lower fee.
Liverpool could hope to snatch him up for around £30m.
Meanwhile, the Reds have reportedly opened talks with Schalke over a cut-price move for in-demand Ozan Kabak.
The Bundesliga side rated Kabak at around £40million before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
They are still hopeful of getting at least £30m for their defender, who is under contract until 2024.
But Liverpool want to pay £20m up front plus add-ons, say reports in Europe.
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