Barcelona and Real Madrid Reportedly Ready to Battle for £70m David Alaba

Bayern Munich defender David Alaba is reportedly a transfer target of both Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the Austrian valued at £70 million, per Diario Gol (h/t Callum Vurley for the Daily Star).

The 25-year-old, who has featured predominantly as a left-back for Bayern this season but can play in a variety of positions across defence and midfield, is seen as a versatile option for Spain's two leading clubs, both of which are in need of new recruits.

Barcelona's current first-choice left-back Jordi Alba is well respected, but his backup, Lucas Digne, has rarely impressed this season. Ernesto Valverde's side have failed to win five of the last six matches in all competitions in which Digne has started.

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The La Liga leaders should have the funds to spend £70 million on the Austria international having sold Neymar for £200 million to Paris Saint-Germain last summer. 

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are reportedly ready for a major overhaul of playing staff at the end of the season following their poor domestic campaign. Zinedine Zidane's side are 15 points behind Barca and third in La Liga, although pressure has been lifted slightly following the 5-2 aggregate victory over PSG in the Champions League round of 16.

Regardless of whether Real or Barca make a bid, Alaba is reportedly ready to leave Bayern after spending 10 years at the Bundesliga club. 

"I still feel very comfortable here, but I can also imagine taking a different path, taking the next step or looking for a new challenge," he told Austrian newspaper Kurier (h/t Dom Farrell for Goal). "But I leave that decision open."

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These comments follow a report by Moises Llorens for AS in January that said Barcelona have admired Alaba for a long time, although Bayern showed no desire to sell.

However, it now appears that the price tag for the Austrian is £70 million, which could be good value for a player who can perform to a high level in almost any position on the pitch.

Given the sums of money spent in the Premier League over the last 12 months, such a fee could alert Manchester United or Chelsea, as both have also reportedly shown an interest in his services, per Wally Downes Jr for The Sun.

For now, Alaba will no doubt ignore the speculation. The 25-year-old, who has played in 30 matches already this season, will be needed to help Bayern tie up the Bundesliga title and compete in the latter stages of the Champions League.