Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Hansi Flick leave the door open for David Alaba potentially staying at Bayern

David Alaba’s contract negotiations with Bayern Munich have stretched on-and-on, up until the end of October, when the deadline from Bayern’s front office was set for Alaba and his representatives to make a decision by. His contract was not extended and for a multitude of reasons, both parties could not agree on a proper wage structure for the defender to extend his contract at Bayern.

Despite all things considered, both Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Hansi Flick are leaving the door open for Alaba to potentially stay at Bayern even though all signs seem to point to him leaving after this season concludes. Speaking to Sky TV this weekend (via Az), Rummenigge refused to shut the door to the possibility that the Austrian international will stay beyond this season: “If David wants to stay at FC Bayern, which I do not completely rule out, you have to think about finding a way that saves face for both sides. The door is still ajar.”

Rummenigge continued by saying that for a player who has been with Bayern for so long, having earned so many trophies, it is absolutely vital to make sure that’s taken into account if there is a potential that he might agree to stay: “David Alaba has been with FC Bayern for over twelve years. He’s been an important player over the years. He has won an incredible number of titles with us and has been a treble winner twice in all that time. It’s important to put the quality of the player and the person in the right light. “

Still, though, there has to be a delicate balance between what the club wants and want the player wants, but perhaps Bayern’s front office will ultimately decide that Alaba deserves to be paid as much as players like Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer, two of the highest earners at the club.

Flick also doesn’t want to completely rule out his “defensive chief” staying. Speaking after Bayern’s 3-2 triumph over Borussia Dortmund, the manager said it would be highly beneficial for the club if Alaba stayed, and that the ball is in his court right now: “He was trained here, has been here for a long time and is a top performer. So it would be a good thing if he continued to play for Bayern Munich. He’s now alone in the driver’s seat. He has to decide how he envisions his future. “

There is also now the possibility that Alaba could potentially see some minutes as a central midfielder due to the three-month injury layover for Joshua Kimmich and his meniscus tear. Flick does still have depth in midfield with Marc Roca, Corentin Tolisso, Leon Goretzka and Javi Martinez, but Alaba has always said that he would like to play there and Martinez could always play center back, as he did when he came on against Dortmund on Saturday. While that’s certainly not a sure-fire scenario, it’s still a possibility, and one that Alaba might relish.