Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has been tipped to snub Liverpool's managerial advances and join Manchester City instead.
The former Reds midfielder has enjoyed a glittering start to life as boss at the BayArena, having won 44 of his 68 games in charge with the Bundesliga side.
With Jurgen Klopp having confirmed he will leave Anfield at the end of the 23/24 campaign, Alonso has been hotly tipped as the manager who is most likely to replace him on Merseyside.
But according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, the former Real Madrid midfielder has always touted the Etihad Stadium as a dream destination at some point.
Speaking via BBC’s The Football News Show, he said: “I’ll tell you a little secret. When he went to Bayer Leverkusen, he told his agent ‘do you know what, I am thinking that if it doesn’t go well at Bayer Leverkusen, I’ll go back to Real Sociedad.
“But if it goes well, from here, it’s Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich. Let me add Manchester City to the equation and that’s where Xabi Alonso could go next. When, is a different matter.”
Having worked in Spain and Germany so far as a manager, Alonso's skillset is yet to be tested in the Premier League. Known so far for his three-at-the-back formation and slick counterattacking styles, the 42-year-old's approach is different to those seen by Klopp and Pep Guardiola over recent years.
As speculation continues to gather, Alonso has continued to keep tight-lipped on the situation regarding his future and recently insisted his priority is on the task at hand with Leverkusen.
“I am not in that moment to think about the next thing," he began. "I’m just thinking about where I am right now. And I think that I’m in a great place and I am enjoying it. And I think it’s the right place.
"That’s all I can say. “I don’t know what my pace [of my career] is. My pace is what’s going to be the pace of the team on Saturday, to be honest, because that’s what really matters.
“What is going to happen in the future, I don’t know, and I don’t really care at the moment.”
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