Alaba confirms Bayern exit at the end of season

BERLIN: Defender David Alaba confirmed on Tuesday he will leave Bayern Munich ater 13 years at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, but refused to name his next destination.

“I made the decision to do something new ater this season and leave the club,” the 28-year-old Austrian international said in a press conference in Munich.

“That wasn’t an easy decision. I’ve been here for 13 years and the club is very close to my heart,” he said.

Alaba joined Bayern’s academy in 2008, made his Bundesliga debut in March 2010 and has so far won 26 trophies with the club.

However, he refused to confirm rumours he will join Spanish giants Barcelona. He has also been linked to Real Madrid and Manchester City.

“It’s no secret that my management is in contact with some clubs. The rest will be decided in the future,” he said.

Alaba was a key member of the side which won the Club World Cup final in Qatar last week as Bayern became only the second club ater Barcelona to win all six titles available in the previous 12 months.

Having started as a let-back, he has switched between the defensive midfield and centre-back in recent seasons. He has made 415 appearances for the Bavarian giants, but repeatedly turned down Bayern’s atempts to extend his contract.

Bayern have signed 22-year-old French centreback Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig to replace Alaba next season.

Besides nine German titles - and a strong likelihood of a 10th this season - Alaba has won the German Cup six times and the Champions League with Bayern in 2013 and last year.

Alaba said he thought he could play for another four to seven years and has been ‘thinking about how my career could look’ in that time.

The 28-year-old Austrian has played 415 games for Bayern in all competitions and started all but two of the team’s league games so far this season.

Alaba and Bayern were in talks about a new contract but the club said in November that the negotiations had broken down. The talks were put into the spotlight in September when honorary Bayern president Uli Hoeness labeled Alaba’s agent, Pini Zahavi, a “money-grubbing piranha” on television. Alaba indicated he was dismayed by the comments.