David Alaba before parting? These are his options

After the broken contract negotiations between David Alaba and Bayern Munich, the signs point to separation. Where could the Austrian defender be drawn to?

You can rarely reach Pini Zahavi these days. And when he does, he laughs away the fuss he has caused about the future of David Alaba with the routine of a consultant who has been in business for over 30 years.

“The situation is as it is. We have to see how it goes from here. David only concentrates on football, there is nothing more to say,” he said on the phone SPOX and Goal.

The most recent statements by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (“We all want David to stay”) show that there is still hope for an agreement, but at the moment a change of Alaba can be assumed. The player definitely wants to end the season in Munich, which is why Zahavi is currently not negotiating with other clubs.

But which clubs would be eligible for a free transfer next summer? Above all Real Madrid is traded as a possible buyer. An overview.

David Alaba’s options: Real Madrid

Real is generally considered to be Alaba’s “dream destination”. His father George offered him several times in vain with the royal team, who either failed to take advantage of their good relations with Bayern to sign the player – or pursued other plans on the transfer market.

Alaba would hardly be able to fall back on the expertise of such a well-networked broker as Zahavi if, in addition to a contract extension in Munich, he did not deal with a move to Madrid again. The same happened in 2018 when striker Robert Lewandowski hired Zahavi with the aim of joining Real. But nothing came of it, also because the Spaniards in Lewandowski did not see an upgrade to Karim Benzema in the storm center, unlike in previous years.

In general, the Madrilenians recently took a different course with transfers: Instead of ready-made players in their prime with high salaries, mostly highly talented talent with development potential and comparatively low salaries came. Eden Hazard (29), who was kicked off by Chelsea FC for 100 million euros in 2019, was an exception, but was more of a wish transfer from coach Zinedine Zidane than a deal by the squad planners around managing director Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat.

“I would get Alaba with my eyes closed,” says ex-Real coach Bernd Schuster. It is currently highly unlikely that Blancos would abandon their strategy for the still-Munich-based man. Around the club it is said that a commitment from Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano (22) would be prioritized for central defense. As is known, Alaba can be used in other positions, the left defense is already well filled with Ferland Mendy (25) – another dream player from Zidane.

Apart from that, there is less need for action in both defense and midfield than on the offensive flanks or in the striker. Means: Real should try more players like Kylian Mbappe (21) and Erling Haaland (20) next year to fix the problem with scoring goals after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo (35). Only Benzema is consistently performing at a top level, but will be 33 in December.

Alaba – some experts and media in Spain agree – would, if anything, become a serious issue at Real if defense chief Sergio Ramos (34) did not extend his contract, which expires in 2021. There is currently little to be said for it. Zidane says: “I have no doubt that Sergio will stay with us. He is our leader, our captain.” Incidentally, he should earn a little more than twelve million euros net per year. A sum that Real Alaba would not pay under any circumstances, like Brand writes. The left foot should be loud kicker recently turned down an offer of up to 20 million euros gross.

David Alaba’s options: FC Barcelona

In contrast to Real, Barca have been less sensible in recent years. The exorbitant salary payments in particular put the Catalans in financial difficulties, which were made even worse by the Corona crisis. New top transfers with new top salaries are therefore out of the question in the near future, although it remains to be seen who the new president will be and how he would like to structure the team.

In purely sporting terms, Alaba would be better suited to Barca than to Real. Defense chief Gerard Pique (33) is above his zenith despite his recent contract extension until 2024, while Clement Lenglet (25) is not really preparing to follow in his footsteps and Samuel Umtiti (26) is for sale anyway. However, there are increasing signs that the Blaugrana would prefer to rely on a young rather than seasoned central defender. Eric Garcia (19) should and wanted to return to his former youth club last summer, but Barca failed to reach an agreement with Manchester City on Deadline Day.

On the left side of the defense there is at least a need. Jordi Alba (31) is, although his contract like Pique’s, runs until 2024, is not sacrosanct. As with Real, other parts of the team may need more reinforcement in the near future. Coach Ronald Koeman, for example, insists on signing a new striker after Luis Suarez (33) has been “chased away”. So the tendency is not towards an Alaba transfer at either of the top Spanish clubs.