Real Madrid veteran defender’s exit to free up €25 million in salary space | OneFootball

David Alaba is quietly enjoying his final weeks as a Real Madrid player.

The Austrian arrived in 2021 following Sergio Ramos’ departure to form a new defensive partnership with Eder Militao, and the impact was immediate.

During the 2021/22 campaign, Real Madrid won both La Liga and the Champions League, with both defenders performing at a very high level.

However, things went downhill for him ever since, with injuries stopping him from performing at his best.

David Alaba to leave

Now, as reported by AS, Alaba is set to bid goodbye to Real Madrid at the end of the current season when his contract expires. His exit will free up salary space worth close to €25 million.

Alaba suffered an ACL injury back in December 2023 and has never been able to return to his best since then. He played only 17 games (1407 minutes) in the 2023/24 season whereas last term he featured for only 599 minutes across 14 matches.

Alaba’s time at Real Madrid is up. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

In the ongoing campaign, his minutes have further reduced – 415 across 14 games – and there is no indication that he will be able to add that in the final four matches.

What his departure will leave behind is significant room in the wage bill, creating space for Real Madrid to pursue a new defensive profile. Alaba arrived after Ramos left and inherited his salary, around €12 million net per season, which amounts to nearly €25 million gross.

He remains one of the highest-paid players in the squad, an expense that has not reflected his level of participation.

There have been no indications about where his next destination will be, although superagent Pini Zahavi was in Italy to talk about Alaba’s situation with Serie A clubs. It remains to be seen if he does end up there.