Bayern Munich’s hopes of landing Xabi Alonso’s signature this summer may rest on the shoulders of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Christian Falk reported that the Bavarians’ former CEO maintains a strong relationship with the 42-year-old head coach.
“It is no longer a secret that Xabi Alonso is the top candidate to succeed Jürgen Klopp. But FC Bayern now also has Alonso as number one on their wish list,” the BILD reporter wrote in his exclusive column with CaughtOffside.
“The fact that Tuchel is still allowed to be coach until the summer also has to do with the fact that Bayern is waiting for Alonso.
“The Bayern bosses are self-confident because so far they have gotten every coach they wanted. Even Pep Guardiola.
“They have a trump card in former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Because Rummenigge always kept in touch with Alonso and is considered a confidant of the Spaniard. So Liverpool have got a serious competitor.”
The ex-Liverpool midfielder’s contract with Bayer Leverkusen runs until the summer of 2026.
It is understood that a gentleman’s agreement in place with the Bundesliga table-toppers would allow Alonso to depart to one of his former clubs at the end of the season.
Could the Bayern project prove appealing?
Staying put in Germany, as opposed to completely uprooting his family with a return to England, could prove more than appealing on its own.
There’s also the prospect of managing by far and out the largest club in the German top-flight – with the resources to match.
That’s not to suggest financial resources, or otherwise, would be hard to come by at Liverpool. Though, it’s difficult to determine whether Alonso’s camp would find the challenge posed by wealthy competitors in England more cumbersome than the high expectations in Munich.