Xabi Alonso refuses to confirm that he’s Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement

Xabi Alonso isn’t ready to talk about the future, especially not when the League season is coming to a close and the race for the Bundesliga title is still on.
Amid mounting speculation linking him to Real Madrid, the Bayer Leverkusen boss remained laser-focused on the present. “It’s not a good time to discuss the future. We’re at a very important moment in the season,” Alonso said, brushing aside questions about succeeding Carlo Ancelotti in Madrid. “I don’t want to talk about speculation and rumours. What’s more important to me is what’s happening right now.”
The 43-year-old’s stock has soared after guiding Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title without a single loss, along with the German Cup in his f full season with the club last year. Even though Leverkusen is currently going through one of the better seasons in club hory, it appears that they will have to end the season with nothing to show for it in terms of silverware.
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Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro added fuel to the narrative last week, saying Alonso was “comfortable” and already planning for next season. But with just five games left and trailing just six points to Bayern Munich, Alonso is leaving all talk of next destinations to the sidelines, for now.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp, another name thrown into the Real Madrid rumour mill, has ruled himself out. His agent confirmed Klopp is “very happy” in his new role as head of global football at Red Bull, having stepped away from management last season.
Alonso, a Champions League winner with Real and a World Cup hero with Spain, began his coaching journey with Real Madrid’s youth teams before rising through the ranks at Real Sociedad B. Since taking over a struggling Leverkusen side in October 2022, he’s transformed them into one of Europe’s most feared outfits, losing just once in 53 matches last season.