Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is reportedly looking to former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso as his next head coach.
The Spaniard, who lifted the Champions League with the Reds during his time at Anfield, enjoyed a successful first season in charge of Bayer Leverkusen. He took up his first senior management role after leaving the youth ranks at Real Sociedad and lead Die Werkself from a relegation battle to Europa League qualification.
His current deal at the BayArena runs until next season and according to SportBILD, it is likely that the upcoming season - his first full campaign in charge - will lead to change.
Current Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti is being fiercely linked with the vacant manager's position at Brazil. The Italian has enjoyed success since returning to the Spanish capital, winning the Champions League in 2022 but his deal will expire at the end of next season and Perez reportedly sees the former midfielder as his successor.
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Alonso spent five years at the Bernabeu where he was apart of the side that won La Liga and the Champions League, adding two Copa del Rey's to his list of honours.
With departure of Christophe Galtier at Paris Saint-Germain, the 41-year-old has been linked with the vacant post with the Ligue 1 giants. While reports in France suggest former Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique will succeed the Frenchman, Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfles has ruled Alonso out of the running.
"That's not an issue. Xabi stays," he said via Kicker this month. "I also spoke to Xabi internally and he positioned himself clearly."
Despite Jurgen Klopp signing a new contract with the Reds, keeping him at the club until 2026, his successor is often spoken about.
Steven Gerrard was uttered in the conversation following his success with Rangers and with the transformation at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso, too, has been mooted to become the next Liverpool manager in the dugout. However, should Perez's vision come to fruition, it would likely scupper any chance of Alonso replacing the German.
