The clubs that need David Alaba most - ranked

David Alaba has been a Bayern Munich player and fan favourite for over a decade now. But the Austrian recently confirmed that he would be leaving Die Roten for pastures new at the end of the season.

Unsurprisingly, the speculation over his future and his recent announcement has gathered the attention of some of Europe's elite clubs who, it seems, will battle it out for the Austrian's signature this summer.

Earlier in the season, it looked as though Real Madrid were in pole position to secure the defender's services, with it being reported there was verbal agreement in place and that the Spanish giants were his preferred destination. However, it was recently reported that newly-appointed Barcelona president Joan Laporta had met with Alaba's representatives, in a bid to steal him away from the Bernabeu.

So, the Bayern man will undoubtedly have plenty of options for the next chapter of his illustrious career, but who actually needs him the most? Well, let's have a look...

8. Manchester City

After £421m spent on his back line, it seems as though Pep Guardiola has finally got it right at Manchester City.

Despite being linked with a reunion with his former manager, Alaba would certainly be surplus to requirements at the Etihad. The performances of Ruben Dias and John Stones - with Aymeric Laporte as back up - have firmly closed the door to anymore top quality defenders coming in...surely.

7. Chelsea

The need for a new face in Chelsea's defence may have been true before Thomas Tuchel's introduction.

However, at the time of writing, Tuchel's Chelsea has conceded just twice in 11 matches. The likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso have all had their careers revitalised in his new system.

Defensive issues are well and truly a thing of the past at Stamford Bridge. Sorry David.

6. Juventus

Juventus may not be where they want to be at this moment in time and Andrea Pirlo's position as manager may be looking perilous, but it's not down to any sort of defensive issues.

The Old Lady have conceded just 21 times in Serie A this season - the best in the league - and have the likes of 21-year old Matthij de Ligt and 23-year old Merih Demiral to complement the old guard, leaving very little need for new faces at the back.

5. Liverpool

If there was a time for Liverpool to go and secure a top-quality centre back's signature, it was January. Jurgen Klopp's side instead chose to bring in Ben Davies from Preston and Ozan Kabak from Schalke.

We'll never know if things would have turned out better with a more high-profile name through the door in the winter, but with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez destinedI to be back and fully raring to go next season, there seems little point in going for a player like Alaba now.

4. Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain have the joint best defence in Ligue 1 and look all set for another deep run in the Champions League.

Their defensive solidity is due to a good partnership between Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe who, after Thiago Silva's departure to Chelsea, have stepped up and taken charge at the back.

However, after the Brazilian leaving Parc des Princes, the two of them are the only quality options that Mauricio Pochettino can call upon in that position. So the addition of someone like David Alaba would go along way to strengthening the squad.

3. Manchester United

There's no doubt Manchester United could do with a world-class central defender to bolster the ranks.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, however, will most likely look at a right-sided centre back to partner £80m Harry Maguire at the heart of the United defence (perhaps a certain Raphael Varane?).

2. Barcelona

With Gerard Pique suffering from recurring injuries and Samuel Umtiti seemingly always on the treatment table, Ronald Koeman is having a bit of trouble at the heart of his defence.

La Blaugrana do have the likes of Ronald Araujo and Clemet Lenglet in the position, but Koeman may want the reliability and quality of Alaba to sure up what he already has - and it seems Laporta has already got the ball rolling.

1. Real Madrid

Real Madrid have been favourites to secure Alaba's services for a while, with a move to Los Blancos reportedly being the Austrian's preference.

Real legend Sergio Ramos seems likely to finally leave the Bernabeu this summer, while Raphael Varane has also hinted at a change of scenery.

So the addition of at least one world class centre back may be crucial for Zinedine Zidane's side this summer. Bienvenido David!