Karl-Heinz Rummenigge provides update on contracts of David Alaba, Thiago, Philippe Coutinho

Per a new report from Bild, Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge provided a brief update on the contract situations of David Alaba, Thiago Alcantara, and Philippe Coutinho. It’s the hope of the club that Alaba winds up extending his contract and the same could’ve been said for Thiago, but it now looks increasingly likely that he’ll be leaving Munich this summer. With Coutinho, it’s been understood for a while now that Bayern will not be purchasing him even though they extended his loan deal from Barcelona to accommodate he’s inclusion in the remainder of the Champions League.

Alaba’s contract negotiations with Bayern and his representatives has proven to be a tall task. The Austrian defender has enjoyed a fantastic season in Bayern’s back line, having been dubbed the “defensive chief” by Hansi Flick midway through the campaign. Despite the difficulties Bayern is facing in trying to get a contract extension, Rummeigge remains hopeful they’ll get it over the line; “With respect to Alaba, I’m cautiously optimistic that we will find a solution.”

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Rummenigge has been vociferous in the past about how much he personally rates Coutinho as a top class player, but it just hasn’t panned out as well as everyone would’ve hoped for the Brazilian this season. He has shown spells of brilliance for Bayern, but with such a high fee in the buyout clause in the loan deal with Barcelona, Bayern was never going to be able to make that permanent move, especially having spent a large sum on Leroy Sane. Rummenigge confirmed that there’s nothing new regarding the Brazilian international: “Coutinho — as stated, his contract is expiring and we cannot and will not make further investments of this scale.”

Just as it looked like Thiago was about to sign a contract extension earlier this summer, he put his house in Munich up for sale and reports surfaced suggesting he was keen on a move away from Bayern. A handful of clubs have shown interest in signing him this summer, including both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain. Rummenigge said that Bayern is ready and willing to let him go, so long as they get at least €30 million for him: “With respect to Thiago, it’s well-known that he told us he’d like to do something new. If a club comes to us that is ready to pay an appropriately fair transfer fee, we will take it up.”

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