It was reported that several clubs, including the likes of Manchester United, had been in the race for Alaba but he chose the Bernabeu.
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Spanish giants Real Madrid on Friday announced the signing of Austrian defender David Alaba from German champions Bayern Munich. Alaba has been linked with the most successful side in the history of European football for quite a while now and the deal comes as no surprise. The Austrian joined Real Madrid on a free transfer as he refused to sign a new deal with the Bavarians. Alaba is a versatile footballer, much like Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich. The Austrian can play as a left-back, a center-back, and a defensive midfielder. Of course, unlike Kimmich, he has had to develop these skills over the course of his trophy-laden career. It was reported that several clubs, including the likes of Manchester United, had been in the race for Alaba but he chose the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Real Madrid CF has reached an agreement with the player David Alaba, who will remain linked to the club for the next five seasons,” a club statement read. “David Alaba will be presented as a new Real Madrid player after the completion of Euro 2021,” it added. This means that the 28-year-old will remain at the Santiago Bernabeu until the 2026-2027 season if he is not sold before that.
Alaba’s signing can be seen as a replacement for either captain Sergio Ramos or French defender Raphael Varane. Although unlikely, it is possible that one of them could be on their way out of the Spanish capital as Alaba would probably have not agreed to a bench role at his age.
Questions have arisen about the futures of both Varane and Ramos but it is unclear as to who, if any at all, leave the club in this transfer window. Real have had a tough season themselves this year, going trophy-less for the first time in several years, and losing their three-time UEFA Champions League manager Zinedine Zidane.
The club is also in a soup with UEFA after club President Florentino Perez proposed a European Super League. The proposal did not go down well either with Europe’s top footballing body, or the fans. UEFA had earlier threatened to ban Real Madrid from their competitions should they not withdraw from the Super League and with Perez as the founder, it seems unlikely. However, any future course of action is yet to be decided upon.
