Bayer Leverkusen chief 'trusts' Xabi Alonso to snub Liverpool & Bayern Munich interest
- Alonso remains the top managerial target for both Liverpool & Bayern Munich
- Leverkusen hope to keep the former midfielder for the foreseeable future
- Bayern chief Max Eberl insists no contact with Alonso has been made
By Tom Gott
Bayer Leverkusen director Fernando Carro has insisted he believes Xabi Alonso will reject the advances of Liverpool and Bayern Munich this summer.
Having led Bayer to the top of the Bundesliga, Alonso has attracted the interest of the two European heavyweights, both of whom will be hiring new managers this summer following the eventual departures of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
Alonso is understood to be the top target for both Liverpool and Bayern as things stand, but Carro stressed to BILD that he has no reason to believe the former midfielder will leave the club this summer.
"He has a contract until 2026 and there is no reason to doubt that he will stay here," Carro said. "In football you never know what will happen. But I have a lot of trust, we have a very good relationship. I'm very relaxed, like [sporting director] Simon Rolfes. We have been planning the squad for next season for a long time – with Xabi Alonso.
"We have a list of coaches that is always updated, we have to be prepared in case things turn out differently than we think. But I don't think it will happen like that.
"It's a stroke of luck that we have him. That's why I hope he stays with us for a long time because he's really a top coach."
Bayern sporting director Max Eberl later offered an update on his side's search for a new manager, insisting they are yet to speak with Alonso.
"I haven't spoken with any coach and haven't received any approval or rejection," Eberl said.
"[Alonso] played for FC Bayern. But I don't want to provoke headlines: 'Xabi fits with Bayern!' - I'm talking about him knowing this club. He's under contract at Bayer Leverkusen, can win the domestic double there and the Europa League as well. But to return to the question: there are coaches who fit with FC Bayern, yes.
"How naive would I be to mention a desired candidate now and then we end up not getting him? Maybe in the end our best decision would be to hire a coach who hasn't been linked. Then people will probably say: 'Bayern didn't manage to get Xabi Alonso' - but maybe that was exactly our conscious decision."
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