In what is possibly the worst kept secret in the history of football, David Alaba has finally confirmed that he will leave Bayern Munich this summer, though he stopped short of confirming his future destination.
The Austria international's contract at the Allianz Arena expires this summer, with a whole host of Europe's top clubs monitoring his situation with Die Roten.
90min exclusively revealed recently that Chelsea have registered their interest in the 28-year-old, though no further offers have yet been put forward by Premier League clubs as they believe the Bayern man isn't interested in a move to England.
Real Madrid are the favourites to sign the Austria international. They are ready to move on a host of big names at the end of the season as part of a squad overhaul and are prepared to offer Alaba a four-year contract worth €450,000 per week, the equivalent of almost £400,000.
With speculation beginning to intensify over the future of the defender, Alaba confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday that he wouldn't be extending his deal with the German champions.
"I have made the decision to leave at the end of this season and try something new," he told reporters as quoted by the Daily Mail. "It obviously wasn't an easy decision - I've been here for 13 years and the club means a lot to me.
"I am looking for a new challenge. It wasn't a financial decision. I still have six to seven years to play football and now I wanted to try something new.
"Of course I took my time, after 13 years it's not an easy decision. I then decided for myself to try something new."
Despite confirming he was set to leave Bayern, the Austrian refused to be drawn on which club he would be joining in the summer, simply replying: "I haven't decided where I'm going next."
When asked if anyone at Bayern had attempted to convince him to remain with the Bundesliga giants, Alaba confirmed 'everyone' had tried to make him stay, and he spoke in glowing terms about the club.
"Everyone, absolutely everyone," he added. "I'm really thankful for that and that's why it made this such a hard decision. I can call Bayern my family."
It had been suggested that the reason Alaba was leaving Bayern was because he'd been moved into defence as opposed to being played in his preferred midfield position, however, the Austrian denied such speculation.
"It [moving to central defence] just happened because we have injuries in midfield," he said. "But I know that my position is in central defence and I'm trying to help the team there. The position has played no role in my decision."
Source : 90min