David Alaba Pledges Loyalty to Bayern Munich Amid Real Madrid Rumors
Bayern Munich star David Alaba has said that he will stay at Bayern Munich next season, after rumors surfaced that the Austrian fullback was being targeted by Real Madrid.
Alaba is considered one of the world's best in his position, and at just 25 years old Alaba represented an ideal long-term replacement for the ageing Marcelo at Real Madrid, while also attracting interest from Barcelona who are looking to strengthen their hold on La Liga.
However Alaba has since quelled any rumors linking him will a move away from Bayern Munich: "I'll stay at Bayern," Alaba told Bild.
"I feel very comfortable in Munich, there's nothing more to say about it."
The 25-year-old is under contract at Bayern until 2021, meaning that the German giants are under no pressure to offload one of their key assets in the summer.
Bayern Munich have struggled to progress past the group stage of the Champions League in recent years, having failed to reach the final of Europe's most prestigious competition since 2013.
But in light of Bayern's recent failings Alaba remains confident that the German outfit can again mount a challenge next season.
"All of our bosses at Bayern have shown over the past few years how much experience they have put together big teams that have also been successful in the Champions League," Alaba explained.
"With our squad we have absolutely the potential to continue to get very far in this competition."
The news of Alaba's loyalty to Bayern shows a quick turnaround of events after the Austrian refused to commit his future to the Bavarian giants at the end of May.
Alaba's decision to stay will be a weight off Niko Kovac's shoulders heading into the 2018/19 campaign as the new manager is also threatened with the loss of key men Robert Lewandowski and Jerome Boateng this summer.
