Erik ten Hag in 'very advanced' talks with Bundesliga giants | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen are paving the way for Xabi Alonso to leave the club for Real Madrid, with talks to appoint Erik ten Hag as his successor at the BayArena reported to be "very advanced".

The process should allow Leverkusen, who have fallen off the pace set by Bayern Munich this season while still maintaining second place, to have a smooth transition from one era into another.

It emerged from Germany at the end of April that ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag had been identified as Leverkusen’'s primary target.

Now, kicker writes that, with growing indications Alonso's future away from the club is "virtually settled", things have quickly progressed at Leverkusen to secure a replacement. A deal with Ten Hag is claimed to close, "if not already in agreement".

Ten Hag was sacked by Man Utd in October / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Ten Hag has had a seven-month break from professional football since his dismissal by Manchester United in late October. The Dutchman paid the price for a poor start to the season, although successor Ruben Amorim has encountered similar difficulties in obtaining consistent results.

But Ten Hag still won two trophies – an EFL Cup and FA Cup – in his two full seasons, making him one of only six managers in the club’s 147-year history to deliver major silverware more than once.

The 55-year-old had previously made his name during a highly successful spell with Ajax, where he won three Eredivisie titles, two Dutch cups and got to within a kick of the 2019 Champions League final after eliminating Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the last four.

German football is not new for Ten Hag. After a decade earning his coaching stripes at academy level and then as an assistant, a short but successful spell at Go Ahead Eagles was followed by the offer of a job in charge of Bayern Munich II when Pep Guardiola ran the first-team.

During two years in Munich, Ten Hag's side won the Bavarian state league, before he returned top flight football in his native Netherlands with former club Utrecht.