Xabi Alonso will decide on his Bayer Leverkusen future in March, according to a report.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder is one of the most highly-regarded young coaches in the game after masterminding a domestic invincible season with the German side last term.
The Spanish legend’s current contract with the Bundesliga champions runs out in summer 2026, however reports have varied around when he will actually leave the club having opted to stay on in the summer.
Alonso was heavily linked with both Liverpool and Real Madrid last season as a result of his stellar work with Leverkusen, who were denied an invincible campaign across all competitions by Atalanta in the Europa League final in a heartbreaking last game of the season.
But Alonso nonetheless remains highly-rated and is tipped to join one of the world’s biggest clubs in the near future. Who that will be, however, remains to be seen.
And, according to Spanish publication Marca, there will be a few months yet until the former midfielder decides on his future amid another busy season in his current role, with Alonso’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, maintaining that there have been no talks with Madrid.
Xabi Alonso is set to decide his Bayer Leverkusen future in March, according to a report
Alonso is enjoying plenty of success with the German champions in the country’s top flight
He continues to be linked with Real Madrid as a replacement for Carlo Ancelotti (pictured)
Having flown in the German top flight last season, Leverkusen currently find themselves down in fourth after 10 games played so far.
They have won just four of those games, drawing five and seeing their invincible charge fall early this campaign when they went down 3-2 to RB Leipzig in the second game of the season.
The club are also struggling in the Champions League, losing 4-0 against Liverpool last time out and drawing with Brest on match day three.
Having rejected the chance to join Liverpool in the summer as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Anfield, Arne Slot took over and has overseen a stellar start to the season with the Reds currently top of both the Premier League and Champions League.
That narrowed the number of clubs that Alonso could potentially join in the future, with Manchester City also an option until Pep Guardiola reportedly agreed a contract extension – that deal, though, is reported to end in 2026 at the latest.
Real Madrid are now front-runners to appoint Alonso in the future, with Carlo Ancelotti currently on board but now 65 years old.
The Italian great’s contract at the Santiago Bernabeu is also up in 2026, though, meaning it is unclear whether or not Alonso will indeed return to his former club. If he were to wait another year after this season, a seamless transition could potentially be made.
He has also been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich – reportedly also turning them down in the summer – should things go south with current boss Vincent Kompany.