David Alaba bids farewell to Real Madrid, more exits to come | OneFootball

Departures at Real Madrid keep coming. The club officially confirmed that David Alaba will leave the institution at the end of the current season, bringing to a close a five-year spell in which he won eleven titles, including two Champions Leagues and two La Liga trophies. The Austrian will say goodbye at the Santiago Bernabéu alongside Dani Carvajal and Álvaro Arbeloa in the final La Liga match. Meanwhile, with Mourinho’s return as coach looking increasingly close, the club is already starting to move in the market, and the first name to appear on the radar is Alessandro Bastoni, Inter Milan’s central defender.

Florentino Pérez said goodbye to Alaba with heartfelt words in the official statement: «He takes with him the affection of all Madridismo for his commitment, his work, and an iconic image on our road to La Decimocuarta that symbolized the celebration of a victory and is now part of our club’s history. Real Madrid will always be his home.» The Austrian defender played 131 matches in the white shirt, and his departure leaves a vacancy in the heart of the defense that the club will have to fill in the next transfer window.

Mourinho’s arrival to replace Arbeloa on the bench has not yet been officially confirmed, but in the club’s corridors they are already working with that scenario as the starting point. And the first target being linked to the Portuguese coach is Bastoni.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 27-year-old Inter defender would be one of his priorities. The Italian player himself gave an Instagram post about Mourinho’s return to the Bernabéu a “like,” a gesture that did not go unnoticed. Barcelona had looked into Bastoni but ruled out the move because of his €70 million price tag and the urgency of signing a striker. Madrid could be the destination.

Mourinho’s return could also have consequences for several Argentine players. Franco Mastantuono, who is coming off a season marked by internal dressing-room controversies, could lose ground with Endrick returning from his loan at Lyon and the possible return of Nico Paz from Como. The former River player could go out on loan in search of minutes.

On the other hand, interest in Enzo Fernández is growing, with his name having been linked to the Bernabéu for some time. Florentino Pérez would target him as a marquee signing for the summer transfer window, adding another chapter to a saga that has already been going on for several months.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.