David Alaba arrives in Madrid with Los Blancos deal imminent

Real Madrid are pushing on after a fruitless season that yielded no trophies. As soon as the competition ended, the Whites have sprung into action to make new signings.

A new deal for classy midfielder Luka Modric has been signed for another season. Next in line is improving the backline. This is where David Alaba comes in.

After concluding his long-term association with Bayern Munich, the Austria international will be a free agent in a month but is already free to negotiate his next contract elsewhere. Real Madrid interest has been well-documented, but there were no apparent signs of the deal being in the works. Until now.

The 28-year-old flying full-back is in Madrid, where he's been spotted picking out a place to live. Spanish channel Gol TV and newspaper AS report that a five-year contract with the Austrian is all but signed and that it will be finalized by the end of the week. It's rumoured that David's annual salary would be around $14 million, which is the same amount as current captain Sergio Ramos is earning at the club.

The arrival of Alaba would add some much-needed competition for places in Zinedine Zidane's team. Captain Ramos and French stopper Raphael Varane could be out the door before the next season, so Real Madrid need to get some bodies in.

Alaba has been talked about for months since his contract talks with Bayern broke down. He's been a possible target for Barcelona, Chelsea and a few other teams, but it's now certain that he will be donning the white shirt of Real Madrid in the next five years.