Bayer Leverkusen will not stand in the way of Xabi Alonso if Real Madrid or one of his former clubs come calling for the Spanish manager this year.
Recent reports have suggested the former Liverpool midfielder is the clear frontrunner to replace Carlo Ancelotti in the Bernabeu hot seat should he leave as expected at the end of this season.
Alonso was linked with a number of Europe’s top jobs last summer after guiding Leverkusen to an unbeaten league campaign to claim their first ever Bundesliga crown, while also winning the DFB-Pokal and reaching the Europa League final.
The 2010 World Cup winner chose to stay put for another season rather than apply for the vacancies at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but his departure now appears inevitable.
Leverkusen set Xabi Alonso deadline for Real Madrid decision
Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that, while there is no exit clause in Alonso’s contract, there is a “gentlemen’s agreement” in place that will allow him to leave and join a club for which he has previously played.
Asked if there was a release clause in Alonso’s current deal, which runs until 2026, Carro responded: “No, but we have a gentlemen’s agreement.
“If a team he has played for comes, we will sit down and talk about it and we will not put any obstacles in the way. He’s played for Bayern, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. …. maybe Real Sociedad will come!
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“Last year during the international break he assured us that he would stay with us, despite having offers from other teams. This international break, at the end of March, we sat down to talk and we have given ourselves some time to decide if he will stay with us until next year. We are very calm because we have an excellent relationship.”
Speaking at the the Laureus Awards, Carro added that Leverkusen are still planning for Alonso at the helm, but expect the 43-year-old to make a final decision on his future in the next three to four weeks.
“I am calm because the relationship with Xabi Alonso is very good. We are aware that there can be situations where there are changes that affect one club and that affect another club when it comes to players or coaches. So we are not naive.
“The reality is that we are preparing the planning for next season and the team with him. He is totally involved in next year’s squad. If a club is interested and he is interested, we would have to talk about it, we have that relationship. Our wish is for him to continue, but we are clear that the decision has to be made in the next three or four weeks.”
On the interest from Real Madrid, Carro added: “I think we can speculate a lot, right now there is nothing. In the next few weeks we will know if there is a ‘tectonic’ change between the clubs.”
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