Chelsea and Manchester City are reportedly preparing to go head to head for the signature of Bayern Munich defender David Alaba at the end of the season.
The Austria international will be available on a free transfer at the end of June, and a number of clubs are said to be interested in signing him.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have been strongly linked with the 28-year-old, who has scored twice and provided two assists in 33 appearances for his German club during the 2020-21 campaign.
However, according to the Daily Star, neither of the Spanish clubs can afford the £400,000-a-week contract that Alaba is demanding due to the financial problems caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
As a result, the report claims that Chelsea and Man City are now in a battle for the Austrian.
Alaba's agent Pini Zahavi recently denied suggestions that his client has already reached a verbal agreement with Barca over a switch to Camp Nou later this year.
The versatile defender has also previously been linked with Manchester United.
