Next Liverpool manager: ‘100% confirmed’ Xabi Alonso news revealed by Fabrizio Romano as rival club make him ‘Plan A’

Liverpool face a serious threat in their quest to appoint Xabi Alonso as their new manager after reports in Germany made clear Bayern Munich’s plans to appoint him as coach and despite a major update from Fabrizio Romano on FSG’s own ambitions for the Spaniard.

The Merseysiders are gearing up for what they hope will be an exciting end to the season as they go in hunt of four major trophies and an unprecedented quadruple. And while the first of those can be ticked off over the weekend when Liverpool tackle Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, they do so still with something of a heavy heart given Jurgen Klopp’s bombshell news last month.

Indeed, with the German announcing his decision to quit Anfield at the season’s end, following close to nine glorious years in the job, finding a suitable replacement gives FSG arguably the biggest decision they’ve had to make during their entire 14-year tenure.

Quite who they turn to is a question of some debate, with a number of promiment coaches already coming up for discussion. And while the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi and Ruben Amorim all boast solid merits and would arguably be more-than decent choices, the outstanding selection and the name on everyone’s lips appears to be Alonso.

READ MORE: Five reasons why Xabi Alonso would be perfect Jurgen Klopp successor

The former Reds midfielder is making an absolute triumph of his senior role in management, where he currently has Bayer Leverkusen flying high at the top of the Bundesliga table, eight clear of Bayern Munich and chasing what would be a maiden league crown in their 119-year history.

It will be quite some feather in his cap if Alonso can steer Leverkusen over the finish line.

Liverpool face strong Bayern Munich competition from Bayern Munich

The great news for the Reds is that the German side have already made clear they would not demand any compensation for their coach; a move which, in theory, could give FSG a free pass at appointing the 42-year-old as manager.

However, their quest to appoint Alonso will not go unchallenged and strong new reports in Germany on Tuesday are making clear Bayern Munich‘s intent to alsom appoint him as coach.

Alonso’s success so far with Bayer, means their great title rivals – and 11-times reigning champions Bayern – are underdoing an underwhelming season of their own, with three straight losses threatening to bring an end to Thomas Tuchel’s reign.

Their latest setback – a humilating 3-2 loss to lowly Bochum – could well prove his final game in charge, with reports in the German media claiming the axe is set to fall at Bayern and that a former Manchester United boss could well be drafted in as a short-term replacement.

However, Bayern would only see that as a short-term move and come the summer, they are adamant in their choice as No 1 target in Alonso.

And according to Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg, Alonso is the ‘top candidate’ and ‘plan A’ to succeed Tuchel at the Allianz Arena.

Quite who wins the race for Alonso remains to be seen, though Leverkusen did move to recently extend the Spaniard’s deal to 2026 and they would be hopeful of retaining his services for another season at least.

Next Liverpool manager: Fabrizio Romano makes strong claims about Alonso

Despite all that, Alonso himself appears to favour a move to Anfield, despite the Spaniard’s strong ties to both clubs.

And amid claims FSG have already reached out to him over taking on the role, both Klopp and his former Reds coach, Rafa Benitez, have both talked up Alonso’s chances of taking on the role.

Trusted reporter Romano has also made clear that Alonso is Liverpool’s number one choice, though is adamant that nothing about their interest will be made public until the season’s end so as no to disrupt Leverkusen’s push for a historic Bundesliga crown and out of respect for the German side.

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano provided the latest, saying: “Liverpool remain very interested in Xabi Alonso – they keep having contacts, but they also want to be respectful because it’s an important season for Bayer Leverkusen and they don’t want to disturb them.

“Still, it’s 100% confirmed that Liverpool want to go for Alonso. He’s not the only name on their list, but they are well informed on his contract situation – there is not a proper clause, but a gentleman’s agreement with the club.”

Labelling Alonso a ‘strong candidate’, Romano added: “I’m not sure any concrete talks are imminent because of Leverkusen’s situation, but for sure Alonso is at the top of Liverpool’s list – he’s not the only one, but he’s a strong candidate for the Liverpool job.”

Alonso has won 45 of his 69 matches in charge of Leverkusen since becoming coach in October 2022, giving him a hugely-impressive win percentage record of 65.22%.

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