Liverpool are maintaining contacts over potentially hiring Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, though they also still have other candidates in mind.
This is according to Fabrizio Romano as he spoke to CaughtOffside for the latest episode of The Debrief podcast, with the reporter providing some insight into the latest on the Reds’ efforts to bring in Alonso as their successor to Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp recently announced that he’d be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season and Alonso seems to be the Merseyside giants’ preferred option to replace the German tactician, even if it won’t necessarily be straightforward.
One issue with Alonso for the moment is that LFC want to be respectful to Bayer Leverkusen, according to Romano, as they are enjoying a truly outstanding season and currently sit seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table.
This could mean Liverpool have to wait before holding more concrete talks so as not to distract Alonso, but it seems some contacts do keep taking place.
Speaking on The Debrief today, Romano said: “Liverpool remain very interested in Xabi Alonso, they keep having contacts. They want to be respectful because it’s an important season for Bayer Leverkusen.
“They 100% want to go for Alonso, he’s not the only name on their list, but they are well informed on the situation. They know it’s an important moment for Leverkusen, so this is why I’m not sure there will be imminent talks, even if he remains top of the list and a strong candidate for the job.”