Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are both in the door at Liverpool – will Xabi Alonso be next?

Not if Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has his way, with the 59-year-old making it quite clear that they don’t intend losing their manager to prospective suitors such as the Reds and Bayern Munich.

The BayArena chief emphasised in an interview with Marca: “He [Alonso] has a contract until 2026 and we are planning the next season with him at full speed. Nothing makes us think that he will not continue with us. At the coaching level, he is the number one in the world at the moment.”

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It comes as no surprise to hear Carro’s emphatic statement of intent regarding their intentions for Alonso, who looks set to guide the club to their first-ever Bundesliga title in rip-roaring fashion, with Leverkusen yet to lose a single game this season.

They’re also firmly in the hunt for Europa League glory, and destiny could well pit them against Liverpool in the final of that competition in Dublin in nine weeks’ time, should both sides progress through the next two rounds.

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Trusted journalists such as Fabrizio Romano have stressed repeatedly that the Reds’ search for Jurgen Klopp’s replacement wouldn’t truly take flight until a new sporting director was in place, but now that Hughes’ appointment to that position has been confirmed, the hunt for our next manager should duly accelerate.

Alonso is in the enviable position of having multiple options on the table – stay with Leverkusen or go to Liverpool/Bayern? – and given how much all three clubs want him, he can call the shots as to where he’ll be managing next season.

By getting the crucial boardroom appointments sorted, the hope is that Anfield chiefs can now press ahead with their charm offensive towards the 42-year-old, one which might just see him prove Carro’s confidence to be misplaced.

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The post ‘We are planning…’ – Leverkusen chief fires Xabi Alonso statement of intent to Liverpool appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has claimed ‘there is no reason’ why Xabi Alonso won’t see out his contract with the Bundesliga outfit.

The Spaniard’s current deal in Germany runs until the summer of 2026 but Leverkusen are expected to have a real battle on their hands to retain the services of Alonso at the end of the season with Liverpool and Bayern Munich in need of a new manager when Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel leave their respective roles.

Our former No.14 is doing a sensational job at the moment with Leverkusen currently 10 points clear at the top of the German top flight and through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League where they’ll face West Ham.

Despite rumours linking Alonso with moves to Munich and Liverpool in the summer, Carro (via @FabrizioRomano on X) says he has a ‘good relationship’ with the former Real Madrid midfielder and is not concerned by the reports.

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro: “Xabi Alonso has a contract until 2026 and there is no reason to doubt that he will stay here”.

“In football you never know what will happen but I have a lot of trust, we have a good relationship”. pic.twitter.com/KIpSo9v8lE

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 19, 2024

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It came as a huge surprise back in January when Klopp announced his decision to vacate his role as Reds boss at the end of the current campaign.

Alonso instantly emerged as the favourite to succeed the former Borussia Dortmund boss but it remains to be seen what will happen.

The 42-year-old may opt to remain with Leverkusen and continue the brilliant work he’s already done, or he could opt to take charge of Bayern Munich – a club where he spent three years as a player.

No matter what happens between now and the end of the season he’s proved that he’s got what it takes to succeed on the biggest of stages.

If the World Cup winner doesn’t take up the Anfield hot seat in the summer then we’re not sure who will!

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The post ‘You never know’ – Bayer Leverkusen chief makes Xabi Alonso admission amid Liverpool links appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ben Jacobs has shared what Bayer Leverkusen’s CEO ‘told’ him regarding the club’s stance on Xabi Alonso amid the 42-year-old being touted as the potential successor to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Fabrizio Romano has indicated that the Spaniard is a strong ‘candidate’ to be the Reds’ next manager, while German outlet SportBild claimed (via FourFourTwo) that the 2010 World Cup winner has a clause in his contract which’d allow him to leave for any of the three major European clubs for whom he played – LFC, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich.

In conversations with BayArena chief Fernando Carro, Jacobs outlined that no such stipulation exists, although it was claimed that the Bundesliga leaders wouldn’t stand in Alonso’s way if he did wish to move on.

The journalist wrote for GIVEMESPORT: “Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso will be a leading contender. Alonso has done a fantastic job at Bayern Leverkusen, who are currently top of the Bundesliga.

“Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro told me back in November that there is no formal clause allowing Alonso to leave for Liverpool, or any of his other old clubs, but he added no one at Leverkusen will force him to stay if he does want a new challenge.”

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Few managers in world football currently have a higher stock than Alonso, who in little more than a year has taken Leverkusen from second bottom of the Bundesliga to the very top, masterminding a genuine challenge for their first-ever league title this season.

They’re still unbeaten in the German top flight in 2023/24 and have dropped just eight points out of 57 available, putting them in with a firm chance of being the first team other than Bayern Munich to win the division since 2012.

Barring an inexplicable collapse or major in-house fallout, the 42-year-old looks set to be given the freedom to end his time at the BayArena on his own terms, even though anyone associated with the club must surely be praying that he stays put for the foreseeable future.

Carro’s apparent assertion that Leverkusen wouldn’t try to block Alonso from leaving if he wishes to do so may offer encouragement from Liverpool if, as expected, Anfield chiefs pursue the former Reds midfielder to take over from Klopp.

On current form, the Spaniard is bound to have his pick of jobs whenever he moves on from the Bundesliga pace-setters. Let’s hope it’s LFC who can make the most convincing case to acquire his services when that time comes.

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