Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of defender David Alaba from Bayern Munich on a free transfer.

The 28-year-old allowed his contract with Bayern to wind down in search of a new challenge, and although most of Europe’s biggest sides threw their hats into the ring, Real were quickly seen as favourites.

An agreement with Alaba over personal terms was reached months ago, and now the game’s worst-kept secret is out of the bag as Real have confirmed the arrival of Alaba on their official website.

The defender, who has inked a five-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu, will be officially presented after this summer’s European Championships.

Real moved quickly to land Alaba, who is known to have dreamed of playing for Los Blancos before he retires, and are understood to have offered him a contract worth a whopping £21.5m per season – over £400,000-a-week.

? #WelcomeAlaba pic.twitter.com/AvVUwfyF8l

— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) May 28, 2021

Alaba now appears set to replace Sergio Ramos at the heart of Real’s defence, although that was never the plan. Real hoped to link the two up, but Ramos has failed to reach an agreement over a contract of his own and is currently set to walk out the door this summer.

He could be joined by Raphael Varane, who has rebuffed his own offer and entered the final 12 months of his contract. The Frenchman is expected to be sold, with Manchester United and Chelsea often named as potential suitors.

Alaba’s arrival could be part of a major reshuffle at the back, but the small matter of who will manage the Austrian next season still needs to be resolved.

Zinedine Zidane walked away from the Bernabeu earlier this week after failing to win La Liga, and Real’s top target to replace him, Massimiliano Allegri, recently left the Spanish side high and dry by sealing a swift return to Juventus.

Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte and academy coach Raul Gonzalez have all been named as potential candidates, with Real keen to explore all their options.

For more from ​Tom Gott, follow him on ​Twitter!