Real Madrid have seemingly come to terms on a deal with David Alaba, who could replace captain Sergio Ramos if the long-time Madrid center back does not accept Los Blancos’ final contract extension offer. But Alaba’s own future with Real is uncertain, even if we take the report from the reliable Fabrizio Romano that he has an agreement at face value.
Romano’s colleague at the Guardian, Jacob Steinberg, has added another layer to the situation by reporting that Chelsea would like to “hijack” Real Madrid’s transfer for David Alaba.
Chelsea recently hired Thomas Tuchel as their new manager, as he replaced Frank Lampard, who had the Blues hovering in the middle of the Premier League table despite receiving the most significant investment of any manager this past summer. Tuchel, meanwhile, was dismissed from PSG with the club struggling to impose itself in first place in Ligue 1.
It seems like Chelsea want to support Tuchel as much as possible in their quest to become the next giant of European football, as stealing away Alaba from Real Madrid would be a big deal. Chelsea have a lot more financial flexibility than Real, so that works in the Blues’ favor. They can offer Alaba more than Real in terms of wages, even though Alaba may see Los Merengues as his dream destination.
Could Real Madrid actually miss out on Sergio Ramos and David Alaba?
Per the report from the Guardian, Tuchel “admires” Alaba, though the report goes onto say that Real Madrid remain the “strong favorites” to land the defender. This report from the Guardian is careful not to state that Los Blancos have indeed signed Alaba.
The Austrian international is free to sign with any club of his choosing this summer, and while Los Blancos seem to be in the driver’s seat, it wouldn’t be a shock if he ended up playing for Chelsea. There’s still a lot up in the air, because Alaba’s future seems to be directly tied to Ramos’.
If Ramos goes, Alaba replaces him in Madrid. If Ramos stays, Alaba just might be headed to London as the next big name from the Bundesliga in Chelsea’s ambitious project. But the biggest fear from Madridistas is the possibility of Ramos going elsewhere and Alaba choosing Chelsea. In the case of Alaba going with Tuchel, though, perhaps that is the final straw that leads to Real giving in to Ramos’ demands.