Liverpool have been dealt a devastating blow in their pursuit of Xabi Alonso, according to a Sky Sports reporter.
Since Jurgen Klopp announced he is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Xabi Alonso has been tipped to take over in the Liverpool dug-out.
However, with Bayern Munich having also agreed to part ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the campaign, the Bavarian giants will reportedly rival Liverpool in pushing to appoint Alonso as manager.
According to the Guardian, Bayern will hold discussions over Alonso. While there is no release clause in his contract, he will allegedly be allowed to leave if he decides to pursue a new challenge.
While Liverpool fans have expressed confidence in luring Alonso to Anfield due to his past affiliation with the club, the Spaniard also played for Bayern, finishing his career there in 2017.
And Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has claimed the 42-year-old is more likely to accept the Bayern job than move to Liverpool.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Plettenberg said: “First of all, we hear clearly and 100 per cent that Xabi Alonso is very focused on winning a possible treble with Bayern Leverkusen.
“He’s not motivated to speak about Bayern Munich. He’s not motivated to speak about Bayern Munich in the background. He’s really, really focused on Leverkusen, and we really have to say that.
“It’s not 100 per cent clear that Xabi Alonso will say, ‘Yes’ to FC Bayern, and all the Bayern bosses are informed about the difficulty of this possible transfer from Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich.
“But my understanding is that at this stage Xabi Alonso is more willing to join Bayern Munich instead of joining Liverpool.
“And this is also news I can give you. Bayern Munich have already inquired about Xabi Alonso but we also have heard that Liverpool have also inquired about Xabi Alonso in the last few days and weeks.”
