Bayern Munich defender David Alaba is close to joining Real Madrid, according to reports from Marca. 

The two-time Champions League winner's deal at the Allianz Arena is due to expire at the end of the season, meaning he has been officially allowed to discuss pre-contract terms with foreign clubs since the turn of 2021. 

Snapping up one of the best defenders in the world on a bosman deal is obviously pretty good business and unsurprisingly, several clubs have been credited with an interest in Alaba - Marca had previously name-dropped Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea as potential suitors. 

Indeed, Alaba boasts an impressive mixture of defensive anticipation, natural athleticism and quality in possession, which has allowed him the versatility to line up in a wealth of different positions throughout his Bayern career - ranging from right midfield to centre-back.

These days he operates either at left-back or centre-back, and that appears to be one of the key factors in Real Madrid's interest, with Marca noting that he can provide competition for Raphael Varane and eventually replace Sergio Ramos - the 34-year-old's own contract is set to expire at the end of the season as well. 

Real Madrid have reportedly made an offer of €10m per season for four years, and Alaba is allegedly incredibly keen to join the Bernabeu outfit and ply his trade in Spain. 

Los Blancos made their intentions to sign Alaba clear after the 28-year-old's talks over extending his deal with Bayern Munich collapsed in the latter part of 2020. 

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had told reporters: "We had a lot of conversations, but we wanted answers from him by the end of October. This didn't happen and I don't know if we'll return to the negotiations.

"What I want to be clear about is that our offer showed exactly how much we value him, but he didn't accept it."

Their offer was said to be worth €200k per-week but with no progress being made, Real Madrid now look set to profit from Alaba's services instead. 

GIVEMESPORT's Christy Malyan says...

There isn't a great deal of analysis to be had here.

Simply enough, Alaba is one of the classist defensive players around and Real Madrid look all set to secure him on a free transfer at the age of 28, just when he's at his footballing peak. 

It's great business from the Bernabeu side, albeit not exactly inspired or shrewd either - any major club with enough financial resources to offer him a handsome salary surely had an interest in doing so ahead of the pre-contract watershed. 

Real Madrid appear to have won the race though, and Alaba will be a massive asset for them. It's long-been discussed how exactly Los Blancos can go about eventually replacing Ramos, but Alaba is capable of taking on that mantle as a hugely talented defender with enormous experience. 

Even if Ramos stays, meanwhile, the fact Alaba can operate at left-back as well should ensure Zinedine Zidane always has a way of slotting him into the side.