Ben Jacobs has revealed what he was told by Bayer Leverkusen’s CEO regarding the club’s position on Xabi Alonso amid the 42-year-old being projected as the potential successor to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Fabrizio Romano had indicated that the Spaniard is a strong ‘candidate’ to be the Reds’ next manager, while German outlet SportBild claimed that the 2010 World Cup winner has a clause in his contract which’d allow him to leave for any of the three major European clubs for whom he played – LFC, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich.
In conversations with BayArena chief Fernando Carro, Jacobs outlined that no such stipulation exists, although it was claimed that the Bundesliga leaders wouldn’t stand in Alonso’s way if he did wish to move on.
The journalist wrote for GIVEMESPORT: “Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso will be a leading contender. Alonso has done a fantastic job at Leverkusen, who are currently top of the Bundesliga.
“Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro told me back in November that there is no formal clause allowing Alonso to leave for Liverpool, or any of his other old clubs, but he added no one at Leverkusen will force him to stay if he does want a new challenge.”
Few managers in world football currently have a higher stock than Alonso, who in little more than a year has taken Leverkusen from second bottom of the Bundesliga to the very top, masterminding a genuine challenge for their first-ever league title this season.
They’re still unbeaten in the German top flight in 2023/24 and have dropped just eight points out of 57 available, putting them in with a firm chance of being the first team other than Bayern Munich to win the division since 2012.
Barring an inexplicable collapse or major in-house fallout, the 42-year-old looks set to be given the freedom to end his time at the BayArena on his own terms, even though anyone associated with the club must surely be praying that he stays put for the foreseeable future.
Carro’s apparent assertion that Leverkusen wouldn’t try to block Alonso from leaving if he wishes to do so may offer encouragement from Liverpool if, as expected, Anfield chiefs pursue the former Reds midfielder to take over from Klopp.
On current form, the Spaniard is bound to have his pick of jobs whenever he moves on from the Bundesliga pace-setters. Let’s hope it’s LFC who can make the most convincing case to acquire his services when that time comes.
