Liverpool have approached Xabi Alonso over becoming their next manager.
The Basque boss has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence under Bayer Leverkusen, taking Die Werkself from the relegation spots of the league to eight points clear of Bundesliga behemoths Bayern Munich.
With the news of Thomas Tuchel leaving the Allianz Arena at the end of the season, Alonso is likely to be a candidate to take over in Bavaria, where he played for three seasons under Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti. Liverpool, however, may have acted first to secure Alonso ahead of rivals.
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna has posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Merseysiders have made a first approach for Alonso.
According to Aouna, “The Reds are ready to send a bid to Leverkusen in the next weeks,” with Jurgen Klopp set to leave the club at the end of the current campaign. Liverpool are still in four competitions and it remains possible to draw Leverkusen in this season's Europa League.
Alonso has been coy on speculation linking him with the Anfield job ever since Klopp announced his decision to step down.
Alonso remains the favourite for the Liverpool job, however, with Sporting boss Ruben Amorim second in the bookies' running to succeed Klopp.
The 42-year-old has an impressive win percentage of 65.22 per cent at Leverkusen.
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