Although he is aware that Real Madrid is interested in him, Xabi Alonso wants to put off making a decision on his future until the end of the current campaign.
The former Spain international has been widely rumoured to be the front-runner to succeed Carlo Ancelotti in the Real Madrid dugout should the Italian depart this summer, but Alonso has decided not to commit his future to defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and will wait until the end of the season to make a decision, according to a report from MARCA.
Alonso took over the reins at Bayer Leverkusen at the end of 2022, when the club was flirting with relegation. The former Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid midfielder instantly transformed Leverkusen from relegation-battlers to one of the most entertaining teams in the Bundesliga, guiding them to a sixth-place finish and the Europa League semi-finals in his first season at the top level.
Then came the historic 2023-24 season, where Leverkusen got rid of their infamous ‘Neverkusen’ nickname by going unbeaten to clinch their first-ever league title. Additionally, they won the DFB-Pokal and finished as runners-up in the Europa League, with their shock 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the final their only loss of the entire season.
Alonso’s tactical nous and man management has attracted interest from the biggest clubs in Europe. Liverpool and Bayern Munich were keen last summer, but he rejected them in favour of building his project at the BayArena. Things may, however, look different at the end of the current season.
Given Alonso’s ties to Real Madrid as a former player, it felt inevitable that he would be linked with the club’s head coach job. In 2024, both Ancelotti and Alonso renewed their contracts with their respective clubs until 2026. The Italian has time and again reaffirmed his stance when it comes to his future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Hahaha. I want to be very clear: I will never decide the date of my departure from this club in my life,” the 65-year-old stated in January, explaining that he has no desire to step down. “I know perfectly well that it will come one day, but I will not decide that day.”
