Only missing the official confirmation, Real Madrid’s signing of David Alaba is justified for several reasons, both in an economic and sporting sense.
The 28-year-old will depart Bayern Munich when his contract expires on June 30, at which point he will make his way to the Spanish capital to join Los Blancos.
Here, we will explain some of the reasons why signing Alaba on a free is a brilliant deal for Real Madrid.
As noted, Alaba will become a free agent when his contract comes to an end at Bayern this summer. Transfermarkt value the versatile defender at 65 million euros, although this will not be a cheap deal for Real Madrid.
The total cost for the Austria international will be around 80 million euros, once you take his salary into consideration. Los Blancos view this as a similar deal to the one that saw Toni Kroos arrive in 2014, also from Bayern, as he was entering the final year of his contract.
There is not yet any news about Sergio Ramos signing a new contract at the club, with the captain’s deal set to end on June 30, while Raphael Varane’s contract runs until 2022 but there are doubts about whether he can become the leader in Ramos’ absence. Eder Militao has not convinced thus far either.
As such, the signing of Alaba is strategic as they could potentially have their Ramos replacement already secured, should the current No.4 decide that he wants to try a new challenge. The left-footed centre-back brings the ball out exceptionally well and also brings goals to the team, having scored 32 and assisted 49 at Bayern.
Alaba became a household name playing at left-back for Bayern and, while Ferland Mendy is the first choice in this position for Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane could turn to the Austrian instead of Marcelo if Mendy cannot play. It is a significant upgrade.
At 28 years of age, Alaba has already racked up more than 400 games for Bayern, during which time he has lifted two Champions Leagues, nine Bundesliga titles and many more.
This year, despite rejecting a few contract renewal offers from the German club, his performances on the pitch have never dropped for Hansi Flick’s side.
Another thing that jumps out when looking at Alaba is his impressive disciplinary record, as well as his injury history.
As a Bayern player he has received 18 yellow cards and no red cards, while his last serious injury was a knee injury in the 2014/15 campaign.
