Spanish football reporter Guillem Balague has revealed the ‘secret’ career plan Xabi Alonso made for himself when he joined Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022.

Alonso took over Leverkusen when they were in the bottom three, but has transformed the club’s fortunes and they are now five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. 

His impressive work on the touchline has seen him emerge as the favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool when the German coach steps down from his position at the end of the season.

‘I’ll tell you a little secret,’ Balague said on BBC’s The Football News Show.

Xabi Alonso has been linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer

Guillem Balague has claimed Alonso put together a ‘secret’ career plan in 2022

‘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.’

Alonso played for Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern during his illustrious career, and remains popular with all three sets of supporters.

A vacancy is certain to open up at Liverpool this summer, and the Bayern job could also be available as the pressure ramps up on Thomas Tuchel amid a disappointing campaign for the Bavarian club.

But taking over at Real Madrid appears less likely given that Carlo Ancelotti extended his contract until 2026 in December.

City are also in no rush to replace Pep Guardiola, but he is into the final 18 months of his contract and is yet to commit his long-term future to the club.

Balague has hinted that Alonso could be in the mix to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City

Should Alonso decide to remain at Leverkusen for another year, the chance to manage City could become more realistic in 2025.

Alonso was quizzed on his future last month, and insisted he is happy at Leverkusen, but refused to rule out moving elsewhere in the coming months.

‘At the moment, I am really happy here and enjoying my work here,’ he said.

‘I feel I am in a great place and I am enjoying it. It is the right place. That is all I can say. What is going to happen in the future? I don’t know. And I don’t really care at the moment.’