In Udine, where Serie A’s middle ground is often shaped by experienced arrivals as much as long-term plans, David Alaba is close to returning to club football. The Austrian defender has given verbal approval to join Udinese, with the move now dependent on outstanding formalities and a medical examination.
The news from the club
Alaba, 34, has been without a team since June, when his five-year spell at Real Madrid came to an end with the expiry of his contract. As a free agent, he is able to sign outside the usual transfer-window timetable.
Udinese are currently positioned in the middle of the Serie A table and have presented a project that has received the former Austria international’s backing. No final agreement has yet been completed, but the player and the Friuli club are understood to have reached a verbal understanding.
The remaining steps include settling the administrative details of the deal and completing the required medical checks. Should those stages be concluded, Alaba would return to Italy after a career that has taken him from Bayern Munich to Spain with Real Madrid.
His departure from Madrid ended a five-season period at the Bernabéu. Alaba remains one of several high-profile free agents available beyond the closure of the main transfer window, alongside former Real Madrid teammate Dani Carvajal, whose next destination has not been clarified.
