Liverpool anticipates that Xabi Alonso will remain at Bayer Leverkusen this summer and will explore alternative options to succeed manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Spaniard Alonso, aged 42, has been strongly associated with the position at Anfield following Klopp’s announcement of stepping down.
Leverkusen is close to securing their first Bundesliga title and remains undefeated in all competitions this season.
Uli Hoeness, honorary president of Bayern Munich, remarked that a move for Alonso this summer is “likely impossible.”
Alonso had also been considered a candidate for the managerial role at the Bavarian club, whose current manager, Thomas Tuchel, will depart at the season’s end.
“[Alonso] is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind,” Hoeness said.
Alonso, known for his elegant style in midfield, made 210 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009.
He departed to join Real Madrid, another club that has recently been rumored to be interested in him, before moving on to Bayern Munich, where he spent three years before retiring from professional play.
Alonso transitioned into coaching, starting with Real Madrid’s under-14s in 2018. He then spent three years leading Real Sociedad’s B team.
In October 2022, Leverkusen appointed him to his first role in senior football management. Taking over when the club was second from bottom, he guided them to a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga.
This season marks Alonso’s first full term in charge, and Leverkusen currently sit 10 points clear of reigning champions Bayern Munich with eight games remaining. Additionally, they have reached the semi-finals of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
“Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there,” Hoeness said.
Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim and Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi have also been linked with the Liverpool job.