As the search for Jurgen Klopp’s successor continues Liverpool says they expect Xabi Alonso to stay at Bayer Leverkusen this summer and have shifted their attention to other candidates.
The 42 year old Spaniard has been heavily linked with the role at Anfield since Klopp said he will stand down.
Leverkusen are on the brink of a first Bundesliga title and are unbeaten in all competitions this season.
Alonso was also seen as a candidate to take over at the Bayern Munich whose manager Thomas Tuchel will depart at the end of the campaign.
Alonso moved into coaching with Real Madrid’s under-14s in 2018 and then had three years in charge of Real Sociedad’s B team.
In October 2022, Leverkusen gave him his first role in first-team football and, having taken over with the club second-bottom, he led them to a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga.
This season, Alonso’s first full term in charge, Leverkusen are 10 points clear of champions Bayern with eight games remaining.
They are also in the semi-finals of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Alonso, a stylish midfielder, played 210 times for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009.
He left to join Real Madrid – another club he has recently been linked with – and later moved to Bayern where he spent three years before retiring from the game.
Klopp Replacement: Liverpool Consider Other Candidates With Bayer Leverkusen Set To Keep Alonso
