Liverpool in dreamland as Bayern swerve Xabi Alonso and chase prime Man Utd target as next manager

Liverpool have been given a major lift in their pursuit of Xabi Alonso, as a German source has revealed Bayern Munich are looking at Manchester United target Roberto De Zerbi as their potential next manager.

Liverpool are in the market for a new manager as Jurgen Klopp will leave the role at the end of the season, following a trophy-laden spell at Anfield. While the Reds have briefly considered Premier League managers including Brighton’s De Zerbi, Thomas Frank of Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou, their No 1 target is understood to be Alonso.

Alonso is already loved by Liverpool supporters following his spell there as a player, which means the Anfield crowd will give him time. Plus, the former midfielder has left Bayern stunned by helping his Bayer Leverkusen side go 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen are also hoping to complete an amazing treble involving the Europa League and German cup, which makes the job Alonso is doing even more impressive.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, Bayern are on the hunt for a new manager too. Thomas Tuchel will step down from the role this summer after struggling to get the best out of Bayern’s fantastic squad.

Recent reports have suggested Liverpool are falling behind in the race to snare Alonso, with Bayern supposedly entering official talks.

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But respected Bild journalist Christian Falk attempted to end that speculation on Wednesday, stating that Alonso is not yet leaning towards any potential suitor.

Falk has now provided an update on the Bayern managerial search, and it makes for great reading for Liverpool fans.

Liverpool get better chance at landing Xabi Alonso

In his latest column for the Daily Briefing, the reporter revealed that Bayern are eyeing up De Zerbi as an alternative to Alonso.

“Roberto De Zerbi from Brighton is also considered a candidate at FC Bayern,” he said. “The new head of sports, Max Eberl, finds the Italian very interesting.”

Falk added that two obstacles must be overcome in order for De Zerbi to land at Bayern. The first is that he will have to leave most of his trusted coaches at Brighton, as Bayern do not want a whole new set of coaching staff when appointing Tuchel’s replacement.

The second is that De Zerbi cannot speak German. Some managers can still succeed without speaking the local language, though learning German would give the 44-year-old a much better chance of helping Bayern winning trophies once again.

Not only will Bayern’s pursuit of De Zerbi come as a boost to Liverpool, but it will also represent a setback for Man Utd.

New Man Utd part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has put De Zerbi at the top of his four-man shortlist of replacements for Erik ten Hag. The other managers under consideration are Graham Potter, Gareth Southgate and Thiago Motta.

However, Man Utd will have to put on a huge charm offensive to land De Zerbi as Bayern are used to getting the managers and players they want.

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