From Germany: Manchester City show ‘concrete interest’ in Real Madrid managerial target | OneFootball

Manchester City are showing ‘concrete interest’ in Bayer Leverkusen’s highly-rated Spanish coach Xabi Alonso, according to new reports from Germany.

The Premier League champions are continuing to await a crucial decision from manager Pep Guardiola over whether he will choose to extend his stay with the club into a tenth season, despite the exit of close friend and the club’s Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain.

Whilst the understanding from earlier this year was that the pair were planning to bring an end to their respective stays at City at the same time, it is now believed that the confirmed exit of Begiristain and pending arrival of Hugo Viana will not impact Guardiola’s thinking.

Nevertheless, the 53-year-old coach remains stuck in a dilemma over whether this will be his last season or not at the Etihad Stadium, and while Manchester City are remaining patient and allowing him time to come to a conclusion, they are forming succession plans.

There has been a growing belief in some quarters that the arrival of the aforementioned Sporting CP Director of Football could lead to interest in Ruben Amorim, however new reports would appear to indicate a new primary option to replace Pep Guardiola.

According to the information of Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are now ‘preparing’ for the possibility of Xabi Alonso departing the club at the end of the ongoing season.

The 42-year-old is reportedly a ‘candidate’ for managerial positions at both Real Madrid and Manchester City, with the Premier League champions currently ‘showing concrete interest’ in the Spaniard as they prepare for the possibility of life without Pep Guardiola.

Whilst the current contract of Alonso at the Bundesliga side does not expire until the end of the 2025/26 season, Bayer Leverkusen are said to be already looking for a successor with both VfB Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeneß and Germany assistant Sandro Wagner being considered.

Alonso has previously spoken very highly of Pep Guardiola in recent years, glowing on his former coach during an interview whilst reflecting on their time working together at Bayern Munich.

“Pep (Guardiola) was a great motivator and, as a human being, he was really intense and passionate,” Alonso said in 2019. “He was a great strategist about the game, about what we had to do to play good football and about the little details. He was bang on it.”

More recently, whilst reflecting on the outstanding season endured by Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen last season, Pep Guardiola said of the former midfielder back in February, “If you ask about the job he’s doing, honestly?! WOW!

“The only team unbeaten in, fighting with Bayern Munich,” he continued. “Now they have the most important part of the season. They cannot win the Bundesliga, they can LOSE because everybody thinks it’s done.”