SportBild Report: Third round of Alaba contract negotiations collapse
Germany's "Bild Zeitung" reports that a third round of contract talks between disaffected defender David Alaba and FC Bayern München have failed.
The fight rages on with no solution in sight. According to a report in "SportBild", Bayern tendered a generous five-year contract to their homegrown talent. The extended deal, which would keep the Austrian international at Bayern until the age of 34, fulfilled one stipulation of Alaba's agent and father.
On the issue of wages, however, the two sides remain far apart. Sportbild reports that Bayern did sweeten the latest package somewhat. Though the base salary of €11 million per year remained unchanged, the FCB is said to have added another €5-7 million in bonus packages. The German news source claims that this latest offer was unequivocally rejected last Friday.
It remains highly questionable that the two sides can come to an agreement. Alaba has made no secret of the fact that he feels unappreciated and seeks a deal more within the range of those concluded with other team catalysts such as Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski.
Alaba also feels that, when negotiating his previous contract, the club acted in bad faith by not fulfilling their promise of more midfield playing time for him. An issue surely feeding his discontent is the manner in which he was deputized to fill in at centerback when Niklas Süle and Lucas Hernandez succumbed to injury.
The 28-year-old now sits further from the desired midfield position than ever before. Alphonso Davies inherited his left back position last year and it appears that a healthy Hernandez is fully entrenched in his old role.