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In an interview with Sky Sports, Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirms that Austrian defender David Alaba will leave the club at the end of the season. When asked about the pending transfer with RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, Rummenigge stated that Alaba will leave and it is simply up to Bayern to find the next player to replace him:
Bayern CEO Karlheinz Rummenigge about Upamecano @SkySportNewsHD: “There are two other clubs interested in Dayot. We will lose David Alaba. It depends on the player now and how fast he wants to have a decision.“ #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/yogeHiNgWh
— Max Bielefeld (@Sky_MaxB) February 1, 2021
Rummenigge continues on with wishing for a friendly exit for David Alaba from FC Bayern with a lot of trophies:
Rummenigge: "David Alaba is 99.99% leaving the club. We will part ways in a friendly way and hopefully David can say goodbye to FC Bayern with a lot of titles" [Sky]
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) February 1, 2021
This is noteworthy for a few reasons. Firstly, while we knew David Alaba was most likely to leave at the end of the season, this is the first official confirmation from FC Bayern that the life-long Bayern player would be leaving.
Secondly, Rummenigge also confirms there are other clubs in pursuit of the signature of Dayot Upamecano due to his relatively cheap release clause in his contract with RB Leipzig. With Alaba leaving, the pressure will be upon Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić, Rummenigge, & Co. to ensure that the massive hole left by Alaba will be properly filled.
We at Bavarian Football Works will keep you updated with further information as it becomes available.