Bayern Munich chief Max Eberl has reportedly sounded out Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi as a possible alternative to replace Thomas Tuchel next season in case the club cannot land Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso is also a strong candidate to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer, so Reds fans will no doubt be intrigued to see that Bayern seem to be exploring De Zerbi as an option as well, as it perhaps suggests they’re not entirely confident they’ll be able to lure the Spanish tactician to the Allianz Arena.
See below for the full update on the situation from German journalist Christian Falk on X, formerly Twitter…
True? Max Eberl, Head of Sport @FCBayern, hat contact to Roberto de Zerbi (44) @OfficialBHAFC
?? Xabi Alonso is still Number 1 on the List of FC Bayern
?? Bayern are Talking at the Moment to candidates on their List if Alonso doesn‘t want to come @SPORTBILD @altobelli13— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) March 25, 2024
Alonso and De Zerbi have both done hugely impressive jobs with their current clubs, so it’s easy to see why an elite club like Bayern would have an interest in both.
Tuchel has struggled at Bayern this season and he recently announced he’d be leaving his job at the end of this current campaign, so they’re in a similar position to Liverpool as they need to start looking for potential replacements now.
De Zerbi or Alonso to Bayern?
It will be intriguing to see how this saga pans out as De Zerbi and Alonso will surely both be on the move to bigger clubs before too long, but it’s not yet clear where they’ll each end up.
It may be that De Zerbi is now an increasingly likely option for Bayern, which might mean Alonso goes to Liverpool, but it’s also perfectly feasible that it could be the other way round.
Barcelona are another name to consider in all this as Xavi has also stated that he’ll be leaving his job at the Nou Camp in the summer, so if they also decide they want De Zerbi that could make this whole saga very interesting.