REAL MADRID
Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies doing his bit to force through transfer to Real Madrid
The Canadian defender is Madrid’s top transfer target after Kylian Mbappé and has refused to sign a new contract with Bayern.
Although Real Madrid appear to have secured the signing of Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé, they are still intent on recruiting another long-term target - Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies. Los Blancos have been set on bolstering their defence with the Canadian left-back for over a year, and the feeling appears to be mutual, if Davies’ stance towards his contractual situation in Germany is anything to go by.
When is Davies out of contract with Bayern?
Madrid are confident the 23 year old won’t extend his current Bayern contract, which would mean he would only have one year left on his deal come the end of the season. That would significantly boost the LaLiga giants’ chance of taking Davies to Spain, as they would be in a position to sign him for a reduced transfer fee.
The 14-time European champions have been working on the potential move for several months and believe significant progress has been made. The best sign, they feel, is Davies’ refusal to sign a new contract in Munich even though he has been put under serious pressure to do so.
Bundesliga giants unwilling to meet defender’s wage demands
With former Bayern midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic replaced as sporting director Christoph Freund, Davies saw an opportunity to request a significant pay rise in a potential new deal, but the Bundesliga club considered his wage demands unaffordable, giving Real Madrid encouragement.
The Canadian’s agent, Nedal Huoseh, also further fuelled rumours of a switch to LaLiga, saying “I don’t want to put Bayern down, but Madrid have 14 European Cups...,” when asked about Los Blancos’ interest in January. Since then, there has been a sense of suspicion in Munich that one of their top players could be about to join a feared European rival.
Currently in the midst of an almost-never-seen-before sporting crisis (eight points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, coached by former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso), Bayern appear to be approaching the end of an era. The club have indicated their intention to cut their wage bill, seemingly an indirect message to Davies, with whom they won’t be setting an expensive precedent with.
Davies to replace Ferland Mendy at Real Madrid
The Spanish side have no doubt the former Vancouver Whitecaps defender is their number one target and aren’t concerned about unsettling current left-back Ferland Mendy, who will be out of contract in June 2025 and hasn’t yet been offered a new contract.
The club’s recent modus operandi of extending the deals of first-team players well in advance of their current ones expiring suggests the Frenchman will be allowed to leave. Los Merengues were prepared to sell Mendy last summer and will be again this year, no matter what happens with Davies.
Back-up left-back Fran García’s long-term future remains unclear, while Madrid have the option of signing youngster Miguel Gutiérrez back from Girona in July for only €8 million ($8.66 million). Even if that move does happen, Davies remains the top priority, with Florentino Pérez looking to make a statement by signing a key player from a European rival.