Will Alaba and Bayern get Hollywood ending to ugly contract row?

It had not been a quiet week leading up to Der Klassiker for David Alaba.

The Bayern Munich defender has just eight months left on his contract, with negotiations over a potential new deal and emerging transfer rumours having made headlines around Germany heading into Saturday's clash with Borussia Dortmund.

But anyone who watched the Austria international whip in a free-kick in first-half stoppage time to equalise Marco Reus' opener at Westfalenstadion would hardly have known

Alaba's on-field performances have not been affected by the almost constant noise that surrounds him in Munich, with it still not clear whether he will remain at the Allianz Arena past the end of this season.

Nor have the public talks impacted his relationships with his fellow Bayern players or his coach, with Hansi Flick continuing to stick with Alaba as one of the first names on his team sheet.

Ever since Flick was appointed in late 2019, Bayern have entertained fans with their dynamic attacking football.

But now they are back entertaining fans off the pitch, with Thomas Muller even joking that the FC Hollywood of the 1990s is back.

“The topic has been with us for a long time,” Muller told Sky Germany . “The contract has still not been signed; there is nothing new. We'll see, I don't know. Let us be surprised by the future.

“He is his own man on the pitch for the team and is not influenced by it. At Bayern, we sometimes want you to hear something. Regardless of the discussion, David doesn't let himself be influenced and performs well.

“It's also interesting for the audience - it's nice when there's a little bit of drama at the club. I used to enjoy reading about that stuff - FC Hollywood - and now you can watch it live!”

Alaba's contract negotiations have certainly been dramatic.

Usually such talks are kept under wraps by clubs, with only scant information released to the media by either side.

In this case, though, both parties have talked to the press publicly, airing dirty laundry as they try to force each other's hand.

In May, Alaba revealed he expected to see movement on his future in "the coming weeks"  and everyone seemed confident that a deal could be done.

Two months later, Oliver Kahn spoke of how the club was doing everything it could to keep Alaba and was "optimistic".

Then, former Bayern president Uli Hoeness told the media that a deal would have happened already if not for the defender's agent  Pini Zahavi.

“He has a greedy piranha for an agent,” Hoeness 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?

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"We had a coffee several times over the past weeks, but because of Zahavi there has not been a result yet."

A lot of coffees have been shared since September, and a lot more dirty laundry has been aired too.

Alaba's father hit back at Hoeness for spreading "dirty lies" about the contract talks, especially with regard to agent fees and commission.

“I brought David Alaba to Bayern as a teenager. Over the years, I’ve had several opportunities to transfer David to another club, but we were loyal and always chose to stay. I didn’t expect Bayern to be spreading dirty lies in public about salary and commission claims,” George Alaba told  Sky Germany .

“Claiming that we can’t come to an agreement over a new contract due to such payments is one of those filthy allegations. All because we didn’t accept the figures they have presented to us. We have our own ideas.”

It was not only the Alaba camp who were annoyed by Hoeness' comments; sources have told Goal that Bayern were also irritated by them, leaving CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic to pick up the pieces.

Bayern set an October 31 deadline for the next round of discussions, but once again a compromise could not be reached.

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Hoeness' replacement, Herbert Hainer, grew impatient with Alaba's agent, with issues over contract duration and finances still proving problematic.

“We presented him with a very good, very fair competitive offer - especially during these times,” Hainer told  BR24Sport . “We told David’s agent during the last meeting that we wanted clarity and an answer by the end of October, because we want to plan for such an important position and personnel. But we didn’t hear anything.

“Our sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, then contacted the agent and the answer was that the offer is still unsatisfying and that we should think more.

“We then decided to take the offer off the table completely. That means there is no longer any offer.”

Alaba admitted that the club had asked him if he wanted to be included in a swap deal last season, claiming that it had felt like a "slap in the face". Despite that, neither Alaba nor his coach or team-mates believe he will leave in the near future.

Flick and Rummenigge both remain hopeful a deal can be done, as the Austrian will be free to discuss terms with other clubs from January.

Talks have yet to restart, leaving FC Hollywood with a cliffhanger ending. For now.