Real Madrid shocked the football world on 17 July 2014 by announcing the arrival of Toni Kroos. The midfielder had become world champion with Germany just four days earlier in Rio de Janeiro and seemed to become the director of Bayern Munich’s midfield for the next ten years. Dissatisfied with his position in the hierarchy and salary house of der Rekordmeister however, drove Kroos to the exit and at the Royal he would win two national titles and the Champions League three times in the following years. The Allianz Arena is still looking back on this whole episode with sadness and Bayern threatens to have to take a similar hit this summer. The Munich superpower has been in talks for some time with David Alaba to extend his contract, which expires next year, and these negotiations have led to a party publicly throwing mud through both camps in the past week. A departure of the 28-year-old Alaba would perhaps be even harder for Bayern than the transfer of Kroos did six years ago, as the Austrian has become one of the club’s absolute figureheads because of his qualities and versatility.

By Robin Bruggeman

The Vienna-born Alaba has been a Bayern player for almost half his life. After several years in the youth of SV Aspern and Austria Wien he crossed the border in 2008 to join the youth of the thirty-time champion of Germany. At the beginning of 2010 he made his official debut in the main force and after six months on a rental basis at TSG Hoffenheim Alaba became an undisputed base player in the 2011/12 season. The son of a Nigerian father and Filipino mother turned out to be one of the best winger defenders on the European fields in the following years and he also showed his skills in midfield and in the heart of defense. In the past season, in which Bayern won the national title, the Champions League and the DFB Pokal, Alaba played the majority of his matches as central defender, with the fast-paced Alphonso Davies as his replacement left back.

Alaba is considered by trainer Hansi Flick as one of the absolute pillars of his team and those who are in charge of Säbener Strasse can hardly imagine seeing the 72-time international of the neighbouring country in a shirt other than that of Bayern. However, this possibility seems to be becoming an increasingly serious option as both parties have been talking for months about a new contract for Alaba and can’t come out of it. From Bayern’s perspective, the allegedly exorbitant demands of Alaba, his father George and fiduciary Pini Zahavi are currently the biggest obstacle in the negotiations. The club is, according to BILD willing to offer Alaba a new basic salary of eleven million euros and that amount can be increased by another six million by means of a bonus construction. However, Alaba is now reportedly already earning fifteen million a year including bonuses and his entourage is betting on a substantial salary increase, not only from a financial point of view, but also to do justice to Alaba’s position in the club hierarchy.

Alaba recently won his second Champions League with Bayern and also has nine national titles and six German cups in his trophy cabinet.

Zahavi is said to have an annual budget of between 20 and 25 million for his client and, according to reports in Germany, during a meeting with managing director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and technical director Hasan Salihamidzic, the advocate referred to Lucas Hernández as an example. The Frenchman was last year’s most expensive purchase ever made by Bayern for eighty million and was also awarded a substantial salary. Zahavi has reportedly used this issue to argue for a much higher salary for Alaba, as the defender only cost Bayern a ton and a half when he arrived and he deserves to be among the club’s best-earning players because of his performance over the past decade. Another factor that is said to play a role is that Alaba has the idea that Bayern has not kept his ‘promise’. He was promised more opportunities to play at his favourite midfield position when he last renewed his contract in 2016, but instead his employer continued to bring in new midfielders. While players like Corentin Tolisso, Renato Sanches and Leon Goretzka were attracted, and his counterpart on the other wing Joshua Kimmich was definitively pushed a line forward, Alaba had to stay on the left back and has even been turned into a central defender. The duration of the discussed contract would also lead to disagreement: Bayern doesn’t want to commit Alaba for longer than four years, while he himself wants to sign a five-year contract.

Public confrontation
These various factors have led to a stalemate between Bayern and Camp Alaba. Because both parties have declared that a transfer-free departure next year is pertinently out of the question, two possibilities now remain. Either Bayern and Alaba come closer to each other and agree on a new contract, or Alaba leaves this summer or at the latest during the winter transfer period to another superpower. However, due to the corona crisis, there are few clubs that can meet the requirements of both Bayern and Alaba before the end of the transfer period, so the coming weeks will be surrounded by uncertainty. An attempt by club icon and honorary chairman Uli Hoeness to light the fire a little further earlier this week does not seem to have had the desired effect: “He has a greedy piranha as a fiduciary agent. His father, whom I like very much, is very much influenced by this. It’s all about money. If only you knew that Mr. Zahavi is demanding an eight-figure amount for David’s signature for himself alone. That’s not possible at all. I can understand that Hasan (Salihamidzic, ed.) went completely crazy at that meeting. The comments that were exchanged there are really unbelievable,” Hoeness fondled opposite Sport1.

“He’s a great guy. Hansi Flick absolutely wants to keep him there. Everybody wants him to stay. He’s a really good player. I hope David and his dad realize that a four- or five-year contract at Bayern is best for him and that they’ll adjust to our salary structure. Then everyone would be happy. Those last few millions discussed here wouldn’t make him happier, but they would upset our salary structure. Therefore, the club must stick to his point of view.” Camp Alaba reacted like a viper bitten Hoeness, with Alaba himself claiming that the statements were wrong and that the allegations hurt him personally, Zahavi making it clear that a possible commission for the fiduciary and father George Alaba who via Sky Germany made a statement: “I brought David to Bayern as a boy. During the last few years I have had the opportunity to transfer David to another club several times. But we have been loyal and have always decided to stay. I never expected that Bayern would now spread dirty lies about salaries and demanded commissions. To claim that we didn’t come to an agreement because of such a payment is one of these dirty accusations. And all this just because we don’t accept the figures they’ve presented to us. We have our own ideas.” Goal adds Wednesday that Hoeness would have acted alone with his frontal attack and would have caused irritation to the club’s current policy-makers, who are currently doing everything they can to smooth out the resulting folds.

Alaba celebrated over three weeks ago with Hoeness and co

A person who, according to Sky “close to the negotiations” has said that for Camp Alaba it is mainly a matter of appreciation: “Bayern publicly calls Alaba ‘the new Franz Beckenbauer’, but is not willing to pay him to do so”. The issue thus recalls the situation of Kroos, who, after it became clear that a newcomer like Mario Götze was going to earn more, adjusted his demands and did not accept the contract submitted to him by Bayern. Real Madrid then struck by taking him to the Santiago Bernabéu for 25 million and Kroos is still considered ‘the bargain of the century’ in Spain. “Looking back, it can certainly be said that someone will regret having let me go. Even if Bayern is not accustomed to a player voluntarily choosing to leave, that was now the case”, he said earlier this year in conversation with Eurosport.

“I can assure David that that won’t make him happy.
In any case, the Alaba affair is keeping minds busy in southern Germany and club icon Lothar Matthäus told Tuesday at Sky Germany to hope that the whole conflict does not revolve around a ‘few million more or less’: “David has become one of the most important players of this super team and I’m sure that everyone at the club would like him to stay. If all that really matters is that he and his advisor are only interested in a higher salary, I don’t think that would be the smartest decision. I could have made more money in my time with other contracts. But I can assure David that that won’t be what makes him happy after his career. Every club has one or two players who are at the top of the salary structure. At Bayern they are probably Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski, and rightly so. Nobody makes more money at Barcelona than Lionel Messi, and I couldn’t have asked for more than Diego Maradona if I had gone to Napoli. But if David moves up to the top three or the top five with his new contract, that’s fine. Especially in this day and age and given the bond that David and Bayern have, money should not be the most important factor”.

Kroos has become a decisive player at Real Madrid after his departure from Germany.

“There’s one thing those extra millions that a transfer might involve can’t give him and that’s love and appreciation from the club, the team and the fans. Whether it’s Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, David will be recognized and respected everywhere as a great person and a fantastic footballer. But he won’t find that warmth from the nest and the good feeling that people give him every day at Bayern at another club”, Matthew is sure. “However, if David is interested in more than a few million, I can understand him. I also wanted to go to Real Madrid in 1991. However, Internazionale did not allow that. If David decides after so many years that he wants to experience something different, then it is understandable. If he feels a great desire to play for a club like Real, to experience week in week out of the Premier League or to create magic with Messi, then we are talking about arguments that I can understand”.

The last weeks of the transfer period are in danger of becoming unexpectedly exciting in Munich. With the arrival of Leroy Sané and Alexander Nübel, Bayern seemed to have completed its most important transfer business well in time, but may now have to deal with the departure of Thiago Alcántara and Alaba. While the absence of the former seems easier to absorb due to the presence of midfielders like Kimmich, Goretzka and Tolisso, Alaba in particular will leave quite a gap due to his versatility, experience and leadership qualities. The Austrian has in recent years been associated with clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, although it will be difficult for him to find a sporting better situation than the one he now finds himself in with the seemingly supreme Bayern. That Alaba is ready for a new challenge after twelve years in Bayern cannot be ruled out and coach Flick admitted last week that he doesn’t know where he stands regarding the defender and Thiago: “The situation isn’t easy, I don’t know who will leave or who will join. It’s not ideal, but as long as they are both part of the squad, I’ll plan ahead with them”.