Liverpool have highlighted David Alaba as a potential target for next season as they look to fix their defensive nightmares. The reigning Premier League champions have been linked to the Bayern Munich star following a breakdown in talks over a new contract that will keep him in Germany.

It would be a huge coup for the Merseysiders, who are in desperate need of a versatile defender like the 28-year-old. Teammate Joshua Kimmich has been full of praise for Alaba's abilities and even branded him as "one of the best in the world" in his position when operating as a centre-back (via bundesliga.com).

Fortunately for light-fingered Fenway Sports Group, the club can approach Alaba in January to pitch a pre-agreement deal ahead of the summer window. However, this looks like it would come at a huge cost, despite the nature of the free contract.

According to The Athletic, the defender would be looking for a mammoth £400,000 per week wage packet, which wouldn't just cost the club a lot of money, but it could disrupt the dressing room.

A transfer warning

One thing Liverpool pride themselves in is their humble players. The highest earner at the club is currently Mohamed Salah on £200,000 per week, with Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk just behind on £180,000 (via Spotrac).

No issues with wages have been raised as Liverpool continue to dominate, but that could all change if a new signing comes in and is immediately handed a bumper salary contract. Not only would this unsettle the players who have worked hard to prove their value under Klopp, but Michael Edwards would certainly not sign off on such a large amount.

The club's sporting director is impeccable at landing shrewd deals and driving a hard bargain. After selling Rhian Brewster to Sheffield United for £23.5million, despite him never playing a Premier League game before, it's highly unlikely Edwards will blindly sanction a £400k contract.

However, if Alaba is to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Thiago Alcantara, he may be open to lowering his wages by a substantial amount. According to wageindicator.co.uk, the Austria international is currently earning £173,000 each week at Bayern. Bumping him up to the same wage as Salah would still be a pay rise for Alaba without going overboard and potentially upsetting the other players.

But if Alaba and his agent refuse to play ball, it's likely to be a non-starter for his rumoured move to Liverpool which would no doubt hurt the Reds' fans but in the long-run would be the correct call.

In other news, Antonio Rudiger should be serious transfer option for Liverpool in January...