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[Update 3:10PM EST]
The rumored courtship of David Alaba by Chelsea might not be happening according to Sky Sports:
According to Sky information, this is not the case. The Alaba side has no plans to speak to the English in January. And also from the Chelsea camp it is said to Sky that Alaba will not be a transfer target of the Blues in January or summer 2021. The Londoners are very happy with their defense against Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell.
Sky Sports transfer expert Max Bielefeld even rated the chances of Chelsea making a move for Alaba at 5%:
The long-running transfer saga of Bayern Munich’s David Alaba has taken multiple twists and turns, but in the end, it might come down to “who you know” instead of “what you know.”
Per a report from the Daily Express, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is looking to lean on his friendship with Alaba’s agent Pini Zahavi to get a deal done with the Austria international:
The Blues are serious about a move for the 28-year-old as they look to bolster their defensive options for next season. According to Bild, the club have scheduled contract talks with Alaba’s agent Pini Zahavi in January. Coincidentally, Zahavi is a close friend of Chelsea owner Abramovich and the Israeli helped engineer his take-over in west London in 2003. He also played an integral role in the influx of players that arrived at Stamford Bridge to kickstart the Abramovich era.
The super-agent reportedly earned around £5million from Chelsea during the summer of 2003 following the arrival of 11 new signings. Two years later in 2005, Zahavi was accused of ‘tapping-up’ England internationals Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand, following approaches from Chelsea. He has maintained a close relationship with Abramovich ever since and the pair could work together again to bring Alaba to Chelsea next year.
The report also stated that Manchester City, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are also still keen on bringing in Alaba.