Chelsea, Manchester City, others ‘monitoring’ David Alaba contract talks at Bayern Munich — report

David Alaba has won it all with since his debut for Bayern Munich in 2010, becoming one of football’s highest rated players in his roles as left back, centre back, and central midfield over the years.

But at age 28 and with only one year left on his current contract, he is at a career crossroad. Does he continue to dominate German football with Bayern, or does he opt for a change of scenery and give it a shot somewhere else in Europe?

That is a question that many top European teams, including Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain want to know as well. According to the Telegraph, all of these teams are currently “monitoring” the developments in Alaba’s contract talks over in Bavaria.

Alaba and Bayern have won the Bundesliga eight years in a row, going back to 2012-13, lifting five German Cups and (surprisingly just) one Champions League trophy in the meantime as well. The six-time Austrian Footballer of the Year now wants to be paid handsomely, in line with his status at the club and within the sport. And Bayern are reportedly “desperate” to renew ties with Alaba, especially as another club staple, midfielder Thiago Alcântara might be leaving.

In case this desperation does not give Alaba the contract he seeks, he might be on his way out — although Bayern might opt to keep him around for another season, letting him leave as a free agent in summer 2021 instead.

That would be less helpful for Chelsea, who are seeking reinforcements for the defence now. Alaba could fill gaps at centre back or left back depending on our ability to acquire one or two of Leicester’s Ben Chilwell, West Ham’s Declan Rice, Atlético Madrid’s José Giménez, Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter, and so forth. He may be older than those other options, but also would be better and more versatile (Declan Rice may be an exception). If the price is right, Chelsea certainly could do worse.