Bayern president Herbert Hainer says the club has set a deadline of October 31 for reaching an agreement and decided to end negotiations after Alaba’s agent indicated that their latest offer was unacceptable.
Alaba’s future in doubt
Bayern Munich have withdrawn their deal offer to David Alaba after they could not reach an agreement with the Austria international. Bayern president Herbert Hainer says the club has set a deadline of October 31 for reaching an agreement and decided to end negotiations after Alaba’s agent indicated that their latest offer was unacceptable. The defender’s current deal expires at the end of the season. And if no agreement is reached, Alaba will be able to negotiate terms with rival clubs from January. Many sides were involved with the defender’s move, especially Serie A champions Juventus. “We presented him with a really, very good, very fair, competitive offer – especially in these times,” Hainer told reporters.
“We told David’s agent during the last meeting that we want clarity and an answer by the end of October because we want to plan for such an important position and staff. But we didn’t hear anything.”
Bayern decided to remove the offer
“Our sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic then contacted the agent. And the answer was that the offer was still unsatisfactory and that we should think more. Then we decided to remove the offer from the table completely. That means there is no more offer”. Bayern’s decision to withdraw their offer is the latest twist in an increasingly fragile contract saga. A public speech broke out between former Bayern president Ueli Hoeness and Alaba’s father about the negotiations over new terms. George Alaba furiously reacted to Hoeness’ insinuations; his son was only interested in money and accused him of “spreading dirty lies”. Hoeness also accused Alaba’s agent Pini Zahavi of being a “greedy piranha”. Comments from Hoeness forced Alaba himself to get involved in the fray, with the defender denying allegations that his financial claims were excessive.
Bayern boss Hansi Flick said on Saturday that he remains confident the 28-year-old will extend his stint at the Allianz Arena. He insisted that the ongoing saga is not adversely affecting his performance. Alaba has played over 400 appearances for Bayern Munich since graduating from the club’s youth academy in 2010.