David Alaba’s agent Pini Zahavi denied rumors linking his client to the Saudi Pro League, claiming there have been “no negotiations or offers made” for the Real Madrid defender.
Real Madrid rebuilt their backline this summer after conceding 84 goals across all competitions last season. The club signed defensive reinforcements in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Álvaro Carreras, and also welcomed Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão back from injury.
Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio are options for Xabi Alonso as well, leaving Alaba’s place at the Santiago Bernabéu surrounded by question marks. The Austrian’s recent fitness struggles and poor performances have put him at the bottom of Xabi Alonso’s pecking order and right into the center of transfer speculation.
Recent reports claimed several Saudi clubs were interested in Alaba and wantaway midfielder Dani Ceballos, but Zahavi shut down the transfer rumors surrounding his client.
“All the reports circulating about Alaba’s move to the Saudi Arabian Pro League are false. There have been no negotiations or offers made to the player at this time,” Zahavi told 365Scores.
“Talk about the player being open to a move to Saudi Arabia isn’t true, as there haven’t even been any official offers to negotiate. Everything that’s been circulated is just rumors," he added.
Without concrete interest from a Saudi outfit, Alaba is likely to stay in the Spanish capital to see out the final year of his contract with Los Blancos. The 33-year-old has not been linked with any other moves this summer, leaving Real Madrid to pay his lofty annual salary—thought to be in the region of €22.5 million ($26.1 million)—one final time.
When Alaba made the move to Madrid ahead of the 2021–22 season, he was a permanent fixture in Real Madrid’s XI and helped the Spanish giants win the Champions League and La Liga that year. Through his first two years in a white shirt, the Austrian had made 85 appearances across all competitions.
The ex-Bayern Munich star then suffered an ACL injury in 2023–24 and has never fully returned to his previous form. Alaba featured just 14 times for Real Madrid last season and will likely reach a similar number once again given the club’s new signings.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as David Alaba’s Agent Issues Firm Transfer Response to Real Madrid, Saudi Pro League.