David Alaba’s father denies a “done deal” with Real Madrid, Barca and Liverpool in the mix (Updated)

After Marca dropped a bombshell yesterday claiming that Bayern Munich defender David Alaba had signed a contract agreement with Real Madrid, the player’s father has come out and denied the reports. George Alaba spoke to a number of media outlets saying that no contract had been signed with anyone yet, and that a number of clubs were still interested. What this means for the whole saga is still unclear — you can assume that Madrid are still the front-runners.

Here’s all the lastest updates, as captured by Sport1’s Florian Plettenberg:

Please note, the mention of Barcelona was added by Plettenberg, and is not a quote from Alaba’s father. Meanwhile, Bild’s Christian Falk says that Liverpool are in the running to sign the Austrian:

He also confirms that Alaba has not yet signed a contract with Real, or passed his medical like Marca had claimed. Other German journalists are reporting the same. However, it seems like the move to Madrid is closer than ever, and won’t be made public until after the season is over. After all, Bayern are adamant that no one major will leave the club in January — and as a starting defender, Alaba still counts as a major player.

Real also have plenty of incentive to keep the news from going public, since they’re trying to negotiate a new deal with Sergio Ramos. Ramos reportedly wants a contract with the same salary that he currently earns, while Florentino Perez is offering a 10% reduction in wages. Announcing an expensive new signing like Alaba (even on a free) might put those negotiations in jeopardy, or cause discontent within the squad on behalf of their captain.

Is their enough time for another club to dive into the mix? Maybe, if the contract really hasn’t been signed yet. But Marca have been reporting a done deal with Madrid for some time now, and Alaba’s always preferred a move to Spain — seeing another club gazump this transfer is rather difficult. Needless to say, his chances of staying at Bayern Munich are nil at the moment.

Update

According to Sport1’s Florian Plettenberg, Alaba did have a medical done two days ago, but not by a Real Madrid rep.