Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly confident that they can rebuff interest in Xabi Alonso's services from Liverpool this summer.
The 42-year-old has emerged as the odds-on favourite to become the new Reds head coach after Jurgen Klopp surprisingly revealed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
Alonso was a fan favourite at Liverpool during a five-year spell at the club from 2004 to 2009, winning the Champions League before enjoying stints at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Since taking the reins at the BayArena, Alonso has transformed Leverkusen into a well-oiled counter-pressing machine, and the Bundesliga title is currently Die Werkself's to lose as they sit at the summit of the table.
Alonso is under contract at Leverkusen for another two-and-a-half years, but he is expected to be high on Liverpool's list of possible candidates to replace the long-serving Klopp this summer.
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Nevertheless, journalist Florian Plettenberg reports that Leverkusen are hopeful of retaining Alonso's services for the 2024-25 campaign, as the Spaniard is currently laying out his vision for his next season in charge.
Leverkusen allegedly "assume" that Alonso will still be at the club next season, although they are braced for Liverpool to launch a formal approach for his services once the current campaign concludes.
Alonso held a press conference mere hours after Klopp's resignation was announced, insisting that he remains happy in Germany but refusing to fully close the door on taking the Liverpool job in the future.
The 42-year-old has achieved 41 wins, 13 draws and 10 losses from his opening 64 matches in charge of Leverkusen, who will not be approached during the current season out of respect for their silverware ambitions.
Liverpool fans and players were informed of Klopp's imminent exit two months after the Reds' owners Fenway Sports Group, who have been aware of the German's intentions since November, but they are not believed to have an immediate successor lined up.
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The Merseyside giants supposedly do not want to risk disrupting other clubs' seasons by making a move for their head coach, and Alonso is just one of several names tipped to step into Klopp's shoes.
Zinedine Zidane - who has been without a club since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021 - is an available candidate, while Julian Nagelsmann's contract with Germany only runs until the end of Euro 2024.
Premier League bosses Ange Postecoglou, Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank are also believed to be admired by Liverpool chiefs, who will also wave goodbye to assistant coaches Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos this summer.
Klopp only extended his Liverpool deal until 2026 towards the end of the 2021-22 season, but the German has now confessed that he is drained of energy and needs a break from football once the campaign is over.
The former Borussia Dortmund head coach - who has been heavily linked with the Germany job for a number of months - is not sure what lies in store next, but he has promised that he will never manage another English team once he leaves Liverpool.
Ben Knapton
