“He is staying” – Defender’s entourage confirm Real Madrid plans | OneFootball

Real Madrid are focusing on sales for the time being, now that Xabi Alonso’s squad is at its 25-man capacity. The likes of Rodrygo Goes and Ferland Mendy have been strongly linked with leaving, and another player that the club are willing to part ways with before the end of the summer is David Alaba.

Alaba had a very strong first couple of seasons at Real Madrid, but since suffering an ACL injury in December 2023, things have started to go downhill. He has lost all prominence, and going into the 2025-26 season, he is expected to be fifth in the pecking order at centre-back – behind Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and Raul Asencio.

Because of this, Real Madrid are open to selling Alaba, as it would allow his big wages to be taken off the books. However, it is almost certain that he will not be leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2025.

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Alaba’s entourage have told Diario AS that the Austria international “is staying”. And given that he is one of only two left-sided central defenders in the squad, there is chances for him to gain back some prominence under Xabi Alonso – especially if a three-back system is used by the former Bayer Leverkusen head coach.

Alaba will leave Real Madrid in 2026 – if not this summer

However, it is expected that Alaba will be leaving Real Madrid next summer, regardless of how often he plays during the 2025-26 season. The plan is for Ibrahima Konate to arrive as a free agent in 11 months’ time, and in essence, he would be replacing Alaba, who will be 34 at that time.

There is scope for Alaba to play a role for Real Madrid over the next 9/10 months, although it is almost certain that the upcoming season will be his last as a Los Blancos player.