Hansi Flick admits David Alaba looks set to leave Bayern Munich amid links to Real Madrid – but, he says, “hope dies last”. Alaba, 28, is out of contract with the Bundesliga giants at the end of the season and widespread reports have claimed he has agreed to join Real on a free transfer.

The player’s father, George Alaba, said on Tuesday that no decision had yet been made over his future, with other clubs still interested.

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Madrid seems to be his most likely destination but, after 12 years and more than 400 games in Munich, Flick would love to see him stay. “Those are things that are always possible when there is a transfer window and contracts are expiring,” Flick told a press conference. “At the moment I have to admit that I have not heard anything from him regarding this topic. Hope dies last.

“However, I know that things are moving towards a direction which means change for the team. “David Alaba showed a good performance against Freiburg and it is important for him to stay focused. That is how I experience him, as does the whole team.

“We have to continue. We know things like this are possible in football and that there are always changes at the end of a season. “Change also has the potential to develop the team. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. There’s nothing more we can do at the moment.”

One of the most versatile players at the top level of the game, Alaba would leave a significant gap in Bayern’s squad if he does leave. In that case, Flick said Bayern will move for a replacement in the summer transfer window. “Obviously, David Alaba is a player who is not only valuable for the team on the pitch, but also in the locker room and elsewhere,” he said.

“But this kind of thing (transfers) happens. Where the road takes him, we don’t know. We have to wait and see what happens. I’m not having any thoughts around that at the moment. “It is clear though that if a player of his caliber leaves the club, the club has to react and get another player. The future will tell what happens.

“Currently, this is not a topic for me because we will have this squad until the end of the season, so the focus is on this team and all the players we have available. “What happens after that is a new chapter for the club and the team, and one has to make the best of it then.”

Goal.com