Liverpool have received a huge boost in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso.
Alonso is thought to be the Reds’ first choice replacement for the outgoing Jurgen Klopp.
The Spaniard has Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga in just his second managerial position.
Of course, the German club would love to keep him for years to come, but it appears that they have accepted he will leave at the end of the season.
Relevo’s Matteo Morretto is reporting that Leverkusen have approached former Wolves and Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui to take over next season.
Lopetegui is also wanted by AC Milan, so there is no guarantee that he will accept the Bundesliga leaders’ offer.
Xabi Alonso tipped for managerial success
Former Bayern Munich striker Claudio Pizarro, who spent one season alongside Alonso, believes the Leverkusen coach has what it takes to enjoy years of glory in the dugout.
“I think he [Alonso] can succeed everywhere he wants to go,” Pizarro told FootballTransfers.
“I think what he is doing at the moment at Leverkusen [is excellent], what he did before at Real Sociedad as well.
Xabi Alonso is in good company. pic.twitter.com/4QTyrpnGZ5
— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) February 7, 2024
“When he started you could see he was going to be a great coach. When I played with him, you knew that he was going to be a coach, he was talking to the players, doing that kind of job and you knew that he was a really experienced player and with that he could be a good coach.
“Wherever he wants to go, wherever he decides to go, I think he is going to do really well because he is a great coach, a great person and he was a great player as well – he understands everything about football and that’s very important.”
