Pini Zahavi: The key to Real Madrid’s pursuit of David Alaba

[David] Alaba has a greedy piranha as a representative,” is how Bayern Munich boss Uli Hoeness defined the Real Madrid target’s agent Pini Zahavi according to Diario AS.

His comments go a long way in describing the character of a man who worked as a journalist in the 1970s and has now become an integral player in the world of major-money transfer deals.

He was said to have been integral in orchestrating Neymar‘s move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, pocketing €10.7m by way of commission in the process.

He met his match, however, with Bayern, who balked when Zahavi asked for €20m commission to renew Alaba’s contract with the German club.

This commission is the most unpredictable element of the deal. Alaba’s salary is expected to be in the region of €12m net per season, similar to what Sergio Ramos earns. It’s Zahavi’s slice of the pie that could throw a spanner in the works.

It’s something Madrid will have to navigate carefully. Centre-back is a hard spot to staff, and if Ramos does move on they’ll be in serious need of an authoritative leader.

Tags David Alaba Real Madrid
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