Xabi Alonso will leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, according to Eurosport Spain.
Alonso led Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in April after a remarkable campaign which saw the team go through the league campaign unbeaten.
They also won the DFB-Pokal and lost in the final of the Europa League to Atalanta.
That led to the 42-year-old being linked with a host of top jobs – including former clubs Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – only for Alonso to commit to Leverkusen for at least the duration of his contract that expires in 2026.
The love for Xabi Alonso from Anfield 🙏♥️#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/7WTMeYDho2
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 5, 2024
However, the report from Eurosport claims he will leave 12 months earlier than planned with Madrid his likely destination.
Ancelotti feeling the heat
Carlo Ancelotti led Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga double last season but has come under pressure this term with the team six points behind leaders, and arch-rivals, Barcelona, who also won the season’s first Clasico 4-0 at the Bernabeu last month.
Madrid followed up that result with another poor performance, losing 3-1 at home to Milan in the Champions League.
It was their second defeat in the Champions League this season after a surprise 1-0 setback at Lille.
Bayern still a possibility
Eurosport claims that if he does not end up at Madrid then Bayern remains an option. The Bundesliga leaders were interested in Alonso in the summer but, having been rejected, took the surprise decision to appoint Vincent Kompany, who had just suffered relegation from the Premier League with Burnley.
Real Sociedad, the club where Alonso started out as a player and coach, is thought to be an unlikely sideways step, particularly following the news sporting director Roberto Olabe is to leave the club at the end of the season.