TRANSFER NEWS: Arsenal Rival Man Utd For £20m Defender

Arsenal are the latest club to be linked with a move for Valencia full back Jordi Alba, according to reports today.

It emerged earlier in the week that both Manchester United and Manchester City were keen on signing the Spanish international, who is also a target for European Champions Barcelona.

Sir Alex Ferguson is keen on bringing in the talented 22-year-old as a long term successor to Patrice Evra, while Roberto Mancini is thought to want to add another left sided defender to his ranks after being disappointed with the form of Alexander Kolarov.

However, it is now being suggested that Alba is also on Arsene Wenger’s radar as the Gunners boss looks for a potential replacement for the injury-prone Keiran Gibbs, who has struggled with injury during his entire Arsenal career. Wenger’s need for a left back increased last night after Andre Santos picked up an injury during their 3-1 defeat to Olympiacos and is set to be on the sidelines for “a while”, according to Wenger.

However, the Premier League giants will face competition from Barcelona who are also keen on taking defender to the Nou Camp. Alba started his career at the famous Barcelona youth academy before being release due to worries over his size. But Pepe Guardiola is hoping to add to his left back options and sees the newly capped Spaniard as the perfect fit.

A January transfer battle looks on the cards as potential suitors will look to test Valencia’s resolve, as the Spaniards continue to struggle with their crippling debts, and would find it difficult to turn down a sizeable offer for the youngster. Although Alba does have a £20m buy-out clause in his contract should any club want to bypass the negotiating stages.