There are only a couple of months left in the 2020-2021 campaign, and Real Madrid fans are beginning to think more and more about the crucial transfer window ahead while still astutely focusing on the league title race and Champions League knockout stages with Liverpool ahead. Yes, there is a lot for Madridistas to think about!
And one name on the back of their minds, even as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland take most of their “transfer” brain space, is Bayern Munich defender David Alaba. Real reportedly shook hands with Alaba on a deal that would bring him to Madrid, one of his dream clubs, next season, though Alaba did not officially put pen to paper in order to leave the opportunity open for other clubs to potentially sway him.
Alaba was initially seen as an alternative to Sergio Ramos – an emergency in case the club legend did not re-sign and instead chose, say, PSG. But there should be confidence in Ramos staying in Madrid, especially now that most indications are positive despite the lack of an official announcement.
Could that affect Alaba? Could Ramos staying make Alaba more inclined to accept a big-money offer from PSG or Chelsea? Evidently not, because Alaba reportedly rejected both of them during the month of March.
Real Madrid remain the favorites to sign David Alaba on a ‘free’
According to noted football insider Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, David Alaba sees Real Madrid as his “priority”. The deal is “almost ready”, per Romano, and it will be for 12 million euros per year through the 2024-2025 season.
Romano makes it clear that nothing is official. The race is not over, as clubs are still trying to convince Alaba. But it is promising that Alaba reportedly declined bigger offers from Chelsea and PSG to put the focus on La Liga. Per Romano, Real Madrid continue to lead the race, suggesting that rivals Barcelona, who were once positioned as equals with Real for Alaba, are possibly not even a real threat to Los Blancos.
All in all, it looks like Alaba really could be headed to the Santiago Bernabeu next season, filling a key role at center back, left back, and maybe even in midfield. He is having a rough 2020-2021 season, admittedly, but he is a world-class player with an incredible body of work.
As for the finances, it is difficult for any of us to comment on those and know exactly who Real can and can’t afford. But I will say this. Paying both Ramos and Alaba could be tough if the club wants to sign a world-class forward. So as Romano warns us, “everything is open”. But on the other hand, signing a player like Alaba without paying a transfer fee is indeed the kind of steal Florentino Perez does not like to miss out on.