Lahm battle coming

British tabloid The Daily Mail claims that there is a battle coming up between Barcelona and Manchester United to sign Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm (24). The player, whose contract expires in 2009, did not want to renew with his current club, although the appointment of Jürgen Klismann as the new Bayern manager for next seaon could change his position. If Lahm does quit Germany, his personal preference for the Premier League and his friendship with Manchester’s Owen Hargreaves could make him choose a move to Britain.

While Manchester sees the placer as an option for both the right and the left back position, Barcelona would like to bring in Lahm as a right back to replace Gianluca Zambrotta (31), who is rumoured to return to Italy in the summer. Barcelona would be prepared to pay the 11,5 million asking price and to offer the player a lucrative contract.