Xabi Alonso could replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager as contract clause emerges
Liverpool can lose Mohamed Salah heir Florian Wirtz in an instant if the Bayer Leverkusen ace’s current boss Xabi Alonso ends up taking over at Manchester United. The Red Devils have been urged by Richard Keys to sack Erik ten Hag and appoint ex-Liverpool star Alonso as their new manager.
Keys told beIN SPORTS: “In my view, Manchester United should go now to Leverkusen and they should say to Xabi Alonso: ‘We want you to come to Old Trafford. We will give you Saudi League money and we will guarantee you five years’. Which is what Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson) had when he first went to Manchester United.
“‘Whatever else happens, you have five years to sort this out for us’. And he for me is the individual, the coach, the person that might just be able to get something going.”
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool maintain a strong interest in Wirtz and have watched the player numerous times this season. The attacker is also admired by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich but is open to a move to the Premier League, with Manchester City also keen to sign him.
Read more… Man Utd rival Chelsea for Andre Onana replacement with Erik ten Hag unconvinced
Wirtz, who is still only 20 years old, has already made 122 appearances for Leverkusen since breaking into the team, despite spending 10 months on the sideline with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained in the early stages of last year. And he has bagged 29 goals and 40 assists in those matches.
The youngster is one of the rising stars of European football and is set to play a prominent role for Germany at next summer’s Euro 2024 after already featuring 14 times for his country. And Alonso can take plenty of credit for the player’s development after working with him for the last 14 months.
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Liverpool could attempt to prise the player away from Germany if they decide to cash in on Salah in the summer. The Reds reportedly turned down a £150million bid from Al-Ittihad in return for the Egypt international last summer. But the Saudi Arabian giants are expected to come in for the 31-year-old once again at the end of the campaign.
Wirtz appears to be a natural heir to Salah as he is capable of racking up plenty of goals and assists and impacting matches at key moments. But he may decide to stick with what he knows and follow his trusted mentor Alonso if the Spaniard heads to the Premier League. And if United are the team that ultimately snaps up Alonso as their new boss, Liverpool could see their dream signing heading to Old Trafford instead of Anfield.
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