Alaba confirms Bayern Munich exit on free transfer
David Alaba has confirmed he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
The Austrian international has been a mainstay of the club’s defence for over a decade.
But he has confirmed that he will leave the Allianz Arena when his contract expires, as he seeks a new challenge.
Alaba, who has twice won the Champions League with Bayern, as well as being a key player in their Bundesliga dominance, confirmed on Tuesday: “I have personally made the decision to leave FC Bayern at the end of this season and try something new.
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“It obviously wasn’t an easy decision – I’ve been here for 13 years and the club is very important to me.
“I decided for myself to try something new, a new challenge.”
Alaba celebrates Bayern’s FIFA Club World Cup win with Joshua Kimmich and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Image: Getty Images for FC Bayern)
Alaba will leave Germany in his quest for a new challenge and is known to desire a switch to Real Madrid.
But Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool all admire the Austrian, while Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have all previously registered an interest.
However, he insists that no decision has been made on his next club.
“First of all, I haven’t decided which club I’m going to join yet,” he added, speaking at a press conference arranged by Bayern.
“There are many factors involved. I will give a lot of thought to that. Where can I continue to play successful football? That will greatly influence my decision.
“This lies in the future and we will see.”
Asked whether Spain could be his next destination, he continued: “My management is in talks with all the clubs.
“I’m not stressed about that. At some point I’ll make my decision.”
Alaba’s future has been in question for almost 18 months, amid a bitter public saga played out between the player’s representatives and Bayern top brass.
Back in November, he hit out at club chiefs after discovering that a contract offer had been withdrawn when watching on TV.
Despite emerging as the defensive leader of the side under Hansi Flick, leading the side to another treble last season, contract negotiations between the club bosses and his representatives, led by agent Pini Zahavi, proved tumultuous.
Honorary president Uli Hoeness labelled Zahavi a “greedy piranha.” and insinuated that Alaba was only interested in money.
Alaba insisted: “I am looking for a new challenge. It wasn’t a financial decision.
“I still have six to seven years to play football and now I wanted to try something new. I made the decision a few weeks ago and communicated it to the people in charge.
“Money wasn’t a factor for me.”