There’s another club who love Xabi Alonso ‘just as much as Liverpool’

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Liverpool appear no closer to finalising a successor for Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds have privately had since November to sound out managers about succeeding Klopp at Anfield. So far, the outstanding candidate is quite clearly Xabi Alonso, but there’s yet to be any public encouragement that it could happen.

And now, Liverpool could be about to hit a big old hurdle in the road in regards to Alonso. Another of his old clubs, Bayern Munich, are reportedly lurking.

Speaking on that to TalkSPORT yesterday, German journalist Raphael Honigstein said that Bayern really do envisage their former midfielder at the helm.

“There’s one guy they would love above anyone else and that is of course Xabi Alonso,” Honigstein explains. “They love him just as much as Liverpool do. He was a player there who charmed everyone, he was a real gentleman, spoke good German and of course they see his work every single day at Leverkusen and see what he’s done and would love him to do something similar in Munich.

“So, they will try that. But they know they’re in for a fight and there’s other good options for him, including staying in Leverkusen for another season as well.”

Liverpool set for Alonso fight

With the way things are currently going at Bayern, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Second to Alonso’s team in the Bundesliga, out of the cup and dangling precariously in the Champions League, Thomas Tuchel is under pressure.

Xabi reportedly has an agreement with Leverkusen that he can leave without a fight should any of his former clubs come calling this summer.

That of course includes Liverpool, but it does mean that Bayern have just as good a chance as the Reds.

If both jobs do end up being offered, it would be interesting to see which side Alonso falls down on.

For Liverpool supporters, of course they’ll presume that the Spaniard will pick them. Although succeeding Klopp is a huge job, there’s currently a really exciting group of players to take over at Anfield.

With a new sporting director incoming, the structure will be in place to challenge in the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League immediately.

Of course, the same is true of Bayern. However, there does feel to have been a fair bit of upheaval in Munich over recent years. With players like Joshua Kimmich reportedly keen to leave, it seems that things are a bit messy at the Allianz Arena right now.

On top of that, Alonso played two years more at Liverpool, and really kickstarted his career there. He won the greatest Champions League final in history and has a deep connection with the club. At Bayern, he saw out the final years of an illustrious career while coasting to three league titles.

It isn’t ideal for Liverpool that they now seemingly face competition for Alonso. But having had months now to lay the groundwork, hopefully they’ve already done enough to convince him.