- Xabi Alonso has been linked with replacing Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen rubbished reports claiming Alonso is ‘fully focused’ at the club
- Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here
Bayer Leverkusen chief Simon Rolfes has rubbished reports linking Xabi Alonso with the Real Madrid job next season.
Liverpool legend Alonso has been a first-team manager for less than a year after taking over Bayer Leverkusen last October, after managing Real Sociedad’s B team for three years before.
A two-time European champion with Spain, Alonso spent six seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu as a player, winning LaLiga in 2012 and then the Champions League two years later during Carlo Ancelotti‘s first spell at the club.
And now after a brilliant start to the season with Leverkusen, which has seen them take 16 points from 18 in the Bundesliga, they are sitting pretty at the top of the table and the 41-year-old is already being tipped to replace his old mentor Ancelotti.
However, Rolfes insists they are not worried about Alonso jumping ship just yet, given that he signed a new deal recently which keeps him at the club until 2026.
Xabi Alonso (left) has been tipped to replace Carlo Ancelotti (right) in charge of Real Madrid next season
However, Bayer Leverkusen chief Simon Rolfes rubbished reports linking Alonso with Real
‘We got his commitment a few weeks ago, when he extended his contract’, he told Mundo Deportivo. ‘Xabi doesn’t have to say anything. He has extended his contract. He’s fully focused here.’
In October last year, Alonso replaced Gerardo Seoane at Leverkusen with the team second from bottom after eight Bundesliga games.
The Spaniard, who spent five seasons at Anfield, made an immediate impact, guiding Leverkusen to sixth in the Bundesliga and to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Leverkusen have only dropped two points this season after they drew 2-2 with title rivals Bayern Munich last month.
When asked about the reports linking him with a return to Real as manager, Alonso remained coy but didn’t completely shut down talk of a potential reunion.
‘It’s too early to talk about this, we’re in September, so it’s not an issue to discuss,’ he said. ‘Both the players and I know…