Liverpool and Bayern Munich may end up competing with one another in order to appoint Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard is currently excelling at Bayer Leverkusen - they remain unbeaten this season in all competitions.
Xabi Alonso could be at the centre of a tug of war between Liverpool and Bayern Munich, with a release clause in his Bayer Leverkusen contract applicable to both European giants as well as Real Madrid.
The footballing world was rocked on Friday by Jurgen Klopp's decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, two years before his contract is due to expire at Anfield, and Alonso was immediately installed as favourite to return to the club he represented as a player between 2004 and 2009.
Alonso's stock as a manager has risen exponentially after transforming the fortunes of Bayer Leverkusen - a job he took in October 2022 after spending three years coaching Real Sociedad B. The 42-year-old's side are remarkably unbeaten during 2023/24, winning 24 out of 27 games while scoring 85 goals in the process, and top the Bundesliga table ahead of serial winners Bayern by four points.
Liverpool are also riding high, topping the Premier League table under Klopp, and having reached the Europa League knockout stages and FA Cup fourth round, are in contention for an unprecedented quadruple after beating Fulham to reach the Carabao Cup final.