Bayer Leverkusen manager Xavi Alonso has confirmed that he will remain at his current club after the end of the season.
Ahead of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel's departure this summer, both Liverpool and Bayern Munich had been chasing Alonso as their top management target, but it was revealed on Thursday that Alonso had rejected both teams' progress.
24 hours later, Alonso confirmed in an interview with the media that he had decided to continue his journey with Bayer. "It's been a season full of speculation about my future," he began. "I want to use the international break to reflect and make decisions.
"Last week, I had a meeting with Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carlo to inform them of my decision to continue as coach at Bayer Leverkusen.
"Of course, you need to analyze all decisions. I tried to make the right decision. I'm trying to make decisions that I think are right in a natural way, and at this moment, I feel like it's the right place for me to develop as a coach – I'm a young coach, but I have to feel that now I feel like that's the right place. ”
Asked directly about the interest of Liverpool and Bayern, Alonso said: "When other clubs are in this situation, I don't speak of them right. ”。 "Of course, they're clubs with which I have a close relationship. I played there and I respected them, but it's not right to talk about them now. ”
Alonso's contract with Bayer runs until 2026 and if Carlo Ancelotti leaves Santiago Bernabeu, he could still move to another former employer, Real Madrid, in 2025. When asked about his contract, Alonso laughed and said: "We're not speculating on the future, we've guessed enough!". "But for sure, what I want is to enjoy the state I have and now I'm enjoying it at Bayer Leverkusen. ”
As for Bayern Munich and Liverpool, both clubs have long struggled to identify possible replacement targets and will now step up their pursuit of other managers ahead of the summer, where Barcelona will also be looking for a new manager. Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim has a strong link with Liverpool, while Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi has been touted as a target for both clubs.