Liverpool do not expect they will be able to lure Xabi Alonso away from Bayer Leverkusen this summer as they look to appoint a new manager.
The Spaniard quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the job when it was confirmed in January that Jurgen Klopp would depart after almost nine years in charge.
However, This Is Anfield understands that the Reds are ready to move onto other managerial targets amid an expectation that Alonso will stay put this summer.
The 42-year-old has been at Leverkusen for less than two years, and is thought to be keen to repay their faith by remaining at the helm.
The news comes as a blow to Liverpool given Alonso’s achievements since taking charge at the BayArena have established him as the arguably the most promising coach in European football.
Leverkusen are yet to suffer defeat in any competition this season, a run that has taken them into the latter stages of the DFB-Pokal and Europa League and seen them carve out a 10-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
The latter statistic is particularly impressive given that the German club have never once lifted a top-flight title in their history.
They now look set to not only do that, but also be led into a Champions League campaign under Alonso next season.
As for Liverpool, they must now search for an alternative candidate, with Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi known to be among the coaches they admire.
Bayern also give up Alonso chase
The news comes after Bayern Munich also publicly gave up on Alonso, with honorary president Uli Hoeness saying:
“I feel that it will be very difficult to sign Xabi Alonso, not to say probably impossible. I can certainly imagine him staying at Bayer Leverkusen to continue his job.
“[Alonso] is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind. Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there.”
Seemingly, Alonso’s agent has informed Liverpool and Bayern that he will not be leaving Leverkusen, and the two clubs will now look for alternative options.
The perceived favourite for the Liverpool job will now be Sporting’s Ruben Amorim, whose side are top of the Portuguese league.
The other main candidate is Brighton‘s Roberto De Zerbi, whose side are the opposition at Anfield on Sunday. De Zerbi is considered a frontrunner for the Bayern job, too.
