Manchester City may be in need of a new manager for next season.
As things stand, Pep Guardiola’s contract at the Etihad Stadium is set to expire in the summer.
This means that the current season could be his last one as City’s manager.
During the recent international break, Guardiola admitted that he has not made a decision about his future yet.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Xabi Alonso is a potential option to replace Guardiola at City as well as Ruben Amorim.
Now though, some interesting behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding the Bayer Leverkusen manager and what the future could hold for him.
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Bayer Leverkusen preparing for Xabi Alonso exit amid Man City links
In a recent post shared on his official X account, journalist Florian Plettenberg gave this update on Alonso and his situation at Leverkusen.
He said: “Bayer Leverkusen are preparing for Xabi Alonso’s departure next summer.
“Alonso is a candidate at Real Madrid and Manchester City, with MCFC showing concrete interest and preparing for the possibility that Pep Guardiola leaves next summer, as per ‘The Athletic’.
“LFC out of the race at this point, as they are very happy with Arne Slot.
“The contract of the 42y/o runs until 2026. However, Leverkusen are already looking for a successor, with Sebastian Hoeneß and Sandro Wagner being considered.”
Alonso has shown his managerial credentials at Leverkusen
For his first senior coaching role, Alonso has been in charge of Leverkusen since October 2022.
During his time in charge of the German club, the 42-year-old has overlooked 101 matches in total across all competitions.
Out of those 101 games, Leverkusen have won 68, drawn 21 and lost 12, winning the previous Bundesliga campaign unbeaten and getting to the final of the Europa League.
This alone makes it easy to see why the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player is apparently in the frame to potentially replace Guardiola as City’s manager next summer.
However, given the significant number of trophies that the 53-year-old has guided the Citizens to during his time at the Manchester club, it’d be safe to assume that their number one priority would be to see Guardiola put pen to paper on a contract extension, regardless of Alonso’s potential availability in the summer.
