'Alaba has a greedy piranha for an agent' - Hoeness blames Bayern defender's representative for lack of new contract

Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness believes that the Bundesliga champions would have David Alaba tied down to a long-term contract by now had it not been for the influence of his “greedy piranha” of an agent.

The Austria international defender has been at the club since joining the academy in 2008 but was quickly promoted into the first team, making his debut while still a teenager only two years later.

Now 28 and a two-time Champions League winner, he has accumulated 386 appearances for Bayern and stands just one short of a milestone 250th game in the Bundesliga.

With a contract that expires in June 2021, however, there is uncertainty over just how long the Allianz Arena side will be able to enjoy the talents of the versatile star.

Hoeness is pinning this solely on his representative, Pini Zahavi, who has courted controversy in the past, having been involved in controversial deals involving Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand.

“He has a greedy piranha for an agent,” the former president told Sport1. “He lets himself be influenced by him very much. This is really all about the money. He is already at the best club in the world. Where else would he go? We had a coffee several times over the past weeks, but because of Zahavi there has not been a result yet."

Hoeness has also been outspoken on the subject of Thiago Alcantara’s prospective move to Liverpool or Manchester United, accusing the two Premier League sides of holding FCB to ransom over the deal. 

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich, who lifted the Champions League in August thanks to a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon, are bracing themselves for the beginning of the new Bundesliga season.

They open the defence of their title with a home encounter against Schalke on September 18, which is the first Bundesliga match of the 2020-21 campaign. Six days later, they will face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, which is to be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Bayern have recruited Leroy Sane, Alexander Nubel and Tanguy Kouassi over the summer, as they aim to follow up their remarkable successes in the 2019-20 season.