Liverpool continue to work on replacing the outgoing Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool target Xabi Alonso(Image credit: Getty Images)
Liverpool have reportedly laid out a three-year deal for Xabi Alonso as the club continues to pursue the former Reds midfielder as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement.
Klopp announced in January that this will be his final season in the Anfield dugout as he brings to an end a nine-year stint which has seen the Reds end their league title drought and add another Champions League trophy during a hugely successful stint on Merseyside.
Alonso quickly emerged as the club’s top target to replace the German, with the 42-year-old earning a reputation as one of Europe’s best young coaches as his Bayer Leverkusen side close in on their first-ever Bundesliga title.
Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season (Image credit: Getty Images)
But the Reds face competition from Bayern Munich, who also need to appoint a new boss in the summer after they announced that Thomas Tuchel would be leaving at the end of the current campaign.
Liverpool’s preparations for the post-Klopp era have stepped up this week, with the club announcing that former sporting director Michael Edwards has been hired by Fenway Sports Group as their new CEO of football. Bouremouth’s outgoing technical director Richard Hughes is expected to arrive as the new sporting director and it would appear an offer is on the table for Alonso.
Michael Edwards is returning to Liverpool, while Jurgen Klopp is leaving (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to Teamtalk, a three-year contract has been readied for the former Spain international, as Liverpool look to see off Bayern in the chase for the in-demand boss.
The report adds that Hoffenheim forward Max Beier will be a transfer target this summer, after the 21-year-old’s head-turning campaign in the Bundesliga which has seen him score 12 goals already. Alonso is believed to be a a big fan of the player, with BILD claiming that Liverpool are favourites to sign the €35m-rated star.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
