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Real Madrid defender David Alaba has reportedly receive a massive from Saudi Pro League (SPL) giants Al-Ittihad, but is leaning towards staying in Madrid.
According to Relevo journalist Rodra, Al-Ittihad are willing to offer Alaba around €20 million per season. They may need to shell out a considerable fee as the Austrian's current contract with Los Blancos runs until the summer of 2026.
Rumors linking Alaba to the SPL side surfaced in the summer as well, with Fichajes.net reporting that they were willing to pay Real Madrid €40 million for his services. However, transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano later stated that there was no chance of the versatile defender departing the club.
Saudi Arabia turned into a go-to destination for numerous top players last summer. Neymar Jr., Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Serge Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly were among those who moved from Europe to the SPL. Benzema and Kante notably joined Al-Ittihad on free transfers.
Alaba, meanwhile, joined Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 on following the expiry of his contract with Bayern Munich. He has featured 101 times for the Spanish giants, recording five goals and nine assists.
The 31-year-old has impressively already won every trophy available to him with Los Blancos. After winning La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League in his debut campaign, he went on to lift the Copa del Rey, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup last season.
His exploits in Madrid were preceded by a hugely successful 10-year stint at Bayern for whom he scored 33 goals and provided 55 assists. Alaba won 27 major trophies with the Bavarians, including 10 Bundesliga titles, two Champions League trophies and two Club World Cups.
David Alaba has been a consistent starter for Real Madrid in La Liga this season
David Alaba has started 13 of Real Madrid's 16 La Liga matches this term, coming off the bench once. He missed two games due to an adductor injury, and while he is yet to score, he has laid out an assist.
In those 14 appearances, Alaba, operating in central defence, has averaged 1.2 interceptions, 2.6 clearances and 4.7 ball recoveries per game. He has also laid out 0.8 key passes per match and completed 92% of his passes.
Real Madrid currently sit second in the league standings with 39 points, two behind leaders Girona.
Alaba has notably not been very active in the Champions League, starting three times, missing one game and being benched for the other two. However, Los Blancos still managed to top Group C, winning all of their matches.
