Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeness has claimed that the Bundesliga champions are "working on" a deal for Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso alongside Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel will leave Bayern at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, with the biggest managerial job in German football therefore set to become available.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will lose Jurgen Klopp this summer, with the Reds facing the difficult task of replacing the inspirational figure.
Alonso's work at Leverkusen has allegedly made him the leading managerial target for both Bayern and Liverpool this summer, and Hoeness has claimed that the pair are "working on" a deal for the Spaniard.
Real Madrid have also been mentioned as candidates, although the Spanish giants have recently extended the contract of their current head coach Carlo Ancelotti until the summer of 2026.
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"He's [Alonso's] proven that he can be a coach for the big time," Hoeness told Ran Sport. "Clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid, Leverkusen and FC Bayern are working on it.
"There are hardly any coaches who come into question who are currently free, who don't have a job or who are on sabbatical. It's not so easy to tell them that FC Bayern is the measure of all things."
Bayern would allegedly have to pay between €15m (£12.8m) to €25m (£21.3m) to bring Alonso to Allianz Arena this summer, and various reports in Germany have claimed that the former midfielder would prefer to move to the Munich giants over Liverpool at this stage of his career.
Alonso, 42, started his coaching career with Real Sociedad B, managing the La Liga club's second team between June 2019 and May 2022 before taking charge of Leverkusen in October 2022.
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The Spaniard has won 50, drawn 15 and lost 10 of his 75 matches at the helm, and Leverkusen are enjoying an excellent 2023-24 campaign under his guidance.
Die Werkself are incredibly still unbeaten in all competitions this season, and they sit top of the Bundesliga table, 10 points clear of second-placed Bayern.
Meanwhile, the Black and Reds are in the semi-finals of the German Cup and quarter-finals of the Europa League, with West Ham United their opponents in the European competition next month.
Alonso represented Liverpool as a player between 2004 and 2009, Real Madrid between 2009 and 2014 and Bayern between 2014 and 2017 before hanging up his boots.
Leverkusen director Fernando Carro recently said that his club were still confident of keeping hold of Alonso this summer despite the widespread speculation surrounding his future.
Matt Law
