Manchester City Set To Beat United To Signing Of £250,000-A-Week Star

In a move that will surely upset thousands of fans at Old Trafford, Manchester City are already making moves to establish themselves are the favourites in the race to land Barcelona’s Dani Alves according to reports. Alves’s contract is set to expire at the end of this season and has made his intensions clear that he might consider seeing out the rest of his career at the English Premiership.

Earlier this summer the premier League Champions have convinced Bacary Sagna to dump his North London employers in favour of a move to the Etihad. With these developments, Dani Alves and the Etihad based club could reach an agreement by January although the Brazilian will not be able to make a switch until July next year when his contractual agreement with the Catalan giants expires.

Although the Brazilian’s ex-wife who also doubles as his agent has moved to quell any rumours of Dani’s move to England, the decision of Manchester City to match the versatile defender’s massive £5.5m annual wages is said to have propelled them into the fore-front in the race for his signature.

Dani Alves who has recorded an 88% pass completion rate in his 5 La Liga appearances for his Catalan employers this season has also been eyed by the other side of Manchester who are said to be preparing to bring the defender in to constitute a stiff competition to Rafael who is the only option the Red Devils have in that position. The Brazilian could have handed Louis van Gaal a cost-free option in the right-back, but with his rebuilding plans, the Dutchman will be wary of bringing in anyone who could potentially upset the philosophy that he is just laying down at his new job. Since his arrival, the manager has been very careful to sign dynamic but young players who would not only propel Manchester United back to where they belong but also continue to maintain the status.

Furthermore, Dani Alves who has won the Champions League twice will not only bring in an unmatched experience and steadiness into the squad, he is also expected to provide quality leadership to a defensive unit that has witnessed the exodus of 3 senior defenders in Rio Ferdinand, Nemaja Vidic and Patrice Evra last summer, but even with all these advantages, Louis van Gaal may not be willing to engage his City rivals in a war of finances.

Finally, considering the level of financial backing available to Louis van Gaal this season, he should look beyond ‘freebies’ and shop for a young and versatile full back who can battle Rafael for a spot in the starting line-up.