Xabi Alonso to declare decision on future in press conference – report | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso could probably walk into any top vacant job in European football this summer, but the one job he wants remains shrouded in uncertainty until the end of the season. The Basque manager is heavily tipped to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, the club he was at as a player and then started off his coaching career as under-19s manager.

Ancelotti has a contract until 2026, but Real Madrid may decide to dismiss him if he does not bring home the Liga title or the Champions League this season. However they will not make a decision on the final year of his deal until that becomes clear. Although Alonso is widely believed to be his successor, and there has been contact between Los Blancos and his camp, Bayer Leverkusen are keen to get an answer out of Alonso so they can continue planning for next season.

Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP

Alonso also has a contract until the end of next season, but there is an agreement with  CEO Fernando Carro that he can leave if Real Madrid come calling. According to Diario AS, Alonso will declare his plans for next season in a press conference at 14:30 CEST on Thursday, where he will take questions from the media about Leverkusen’s clash with VfL Bochum. They also say that it has been leaked that Alonso will announce that he is staying at the German club next season.

If Alonso should leave, then he risks essentially waiting for Ancelotti to fail be it this season or next. However should he stay at Leverkusen and Ancelotti be sacked this summer, then Los Blancos may look for another option, at which point Alonso’s plans would be at the mercy of the new coach’s success too. Equally it is far from an ideal summer to take over, with the Club World Cup meaning he likely wouldn’t be able to start work until well into July.