Man United Confident Of Landing Alaba Ahead of Barca, Madrid, City

Manchester United have seized the initiative in the fiercely-competitive race to sign Bayern Munich star David Alaba, The Mirror reports.

Alaba, 28, is out of contract next summer and has failed to agree to a new deal with Bayern, with the player’s salary demands driving a wedge between him and the club.

The Austrian defender is also a target for Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, while Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have long been linked swoops of their own.

But United are hopeful they can beat the host of rival suitors to sign Alaba on a pre-contract in the January transfer window.

Red Devils chiefs have spoken to Alaba’s agent, Pini Zahavi, as they strive to thrash out terms ahead of a potential arrival at Old Trafford next summer.

January is expected to be a busy month for the two-time Champions League winner, as clubs will be able to enter talks with him.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is resigned to his player leaving after prolonged negotiations bore no fruit.

“Bayern did everything we could to try and reach an agreement,” said Rummenigge. “We had a lot of conversations, but we wanted answers from him by the end of October.

‘This didn’t happen and I don’t know if we’ll return to the negotiations. What I want to be clear about is that our offer showed exactly how much we value him, but he didn’t accept it.”