Xabi Alonso, the 2005 Champions League champion while still a Liverpool player, is making a strong impression by leading Leverkusen towards the Bundesliga championship for the first time in the club’s history. Even the unbeaten record since the beginning of the season puts the team ahead of the opportunity to win the “treble” this season – along with the German Cup and Europa League. With Klopp publicly announcing in January he would leave Liverpool this summer, Alonso has emerged as the favorite to replace him.

The 42-year-old former Spanish midfielder is also being targeted by Bayern Munich, who has decided to part ways with coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of this season. However, competition concerns are not the reason why Liverpool withdrew from the race. According to ESPN, the Anfield team realized after the first approaches that Alonso was willing to stay at Leverkusen for at least one more season. This coincides with the recent “give up” signal from Bayern, when Emeritus President Uli Hoeness said on Thursday that hiring Alonso this summer was “probably impossible”. There is an opinion that Alonso is waiting for the opportunity to work at Real Madrid, when coach Carlo Ancelotti’s contract expires in 2026.

According to sources, Michael Edwards, who recently returned to Liverpool as the club’s Director of Football Operations, has quickly identified alternative options. De Zerbi, who will lead Brighton to Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday, is enjoying strong support among Liverpool’s board. The 44-year-old Italian coach’s achievements in helping Brighton play attractive football and participate in the European Cup for the first time make him the most popular.

However, Ruben Amorim, the 39-year-old Portuguese coach of Sporting Lisbon, is also considered a good candidate to succeed Klopp.