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Cape Town - Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick insists Chelsea should look elsewhere for a defender because David Alaba is simply not for sale.
The Daily Mirror this week reported that the Blues, who are due to face Bayern in the Champions League's last-16, were interested in 27-year-old Alaba.
The report claimed Chelsea, who last month saw their transfer ban lifted after a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, are ready to pay a transfer fee of 70 million euros.
Frank Lampard is believed to be on the lookout for a left-sided defender with ex-Blues starlet Nathan Ake of Bournemouth another such player who has been linked to Stamford Bridge.
Alaba is under contract with Bayern until June 2021 and remains integral to the Bavarian club's plans, having started all of their Bundesliga matches in November and December after returning from a fractured rib.
Bayern coach Flick, who was appointed in October after the Bundesliga champions dispensed with the services of Niko Kovac, was asked about the rumoured Chelsea interest at a press conference during the club’s winter training camp in Doha.
He said the Austrian international was "not for sale", adding: "I would say it that way, absolutely."
This comes after the Bayern were in a long-running chase for Callum Hudson-Odoi’s signature last season.
Chelsea were not happy about the constant rumours surrounding their highly-rated academy product, who eventually committed his long-term future to the Blues to end the speculation.
The fact that the two clubs will now meet in two blockbuster Champions League knockout games in February and March only adds spice to the transfer stories.
Flick, meanwhile, says Alaba will continue to deputise at centre-back due to the club's injury problems at the back.
"We are very well occupied with Alphonso Davies on the left," Flick continued. "Alaba is doing very well at centre-back at the moment. He can lead a team, he showed that. These are the criteria the leader of the defence has to fulfil."
- TeamTalk Media
