Real Madrid joined by Premier League trio in race for Barcelona centre-back target | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso primed to take over from Carlo Ancelotti as the next Real Madrid manager at the end of the ongoing season.

The Spanish tactician is seen as the favourite to replace Ancelotti, whose farewell will be announced in the coming days.

Transfer plans for the next season are being made keeping in mind the kind of squad that Alonso will want, leading to links with some of the players currently under him at Leverkusen.

One such player in whom Real Madrid have seemingly taken an interest is Jonathan Tah – a soon-to-be free agent.

More clubs join race for Tah

Real Madrid are looking for reinforcements at centre-back and Tah is a player that fits their criteria – experienced at the highest level and with a contract that expires on 30 June. The fact that he has excelled under Alonso at Leverkusen also counts in his favour.

However, according to reports in England, as carried by Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur have all entered the race to sign Tah on a free transfer in the summer.

As is already well-established, Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona, too, have been gunning for the 29-year-old’s acquisition and have secured a verbal commitment from the defender.

Interest growing in Jonathan Tah. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

But they have several issues to address first before they can press ahead with the formal signing, which leaves the door ajar for Real Madrid and other interested parties to make their move.

Trying to take advantage of the situation are Liverpool, Newcastle, and Tottenham as they seek to beef up their defensive rosters.

Real Madrid, for their part, hold an interest in Tah and Alonso’s imminent arrival could also give them an advantage.

However, as has been reported recently, the Merengues see Dean Huijsen of AFC Bournemouth as their main target to reinforce the centre-back department and are accelerating efforts to sign him.

So, as things stand, the interest in Tah might not be as concrete and he could likely be seen only as a backup option.