Liverpool might be made to wait even longer to appoint Xabi Alonso as manager, with the Bayer Leverkusen coach reportedly ready to move to Real Madrid in 2025.
Alonso was the overwhelming favourite to take over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer after the German announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season, but the former Liverpool midfielder has pledged his short-term future to Leverkusen.
The Basque had attracted interest from both Liverpool and Bayern Munich, but both clubs were left disappointed after he revealed he would staying put for another season at least and it may be a while before either will be in a position to hire their former player.
That is because the Real Madrid job may be on the horizon in the near future and Alonso is keen to coach Los Blancos at some point, having spent five years at the Santiago Bernabeu as a player between 2009 and 2014.
Madrid's current coach, Carlo Ancelotti, is under contract with the club until 2026 and has insisted he is happy to stay as long as he is wanted in the Spanish capital.
However, Spanish outlet OKDiario claim Alonso's decision to stay at Leverkusen is linked to a possible move to Madrid in 2025.
The report says Alonso is being earmarked by Madrid as a possible successor to Ancelotti and suggests the club's former midfielder would be interested in the job if it became available in 2025.
In FourFourTwo's view, it is still too early to predict Alonso's next move and as he has said, he genuinely believes Leverkusen is the best place for him right now. Clearly, the Liverpool and Real Madrid jobs will be expected to form part of his career path. Perhaps Bayern Munich too. But he has time on his side and will be aware that those jobs are likely to come up again at some point in the next few years.
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