In the midst of searching for a new manager, Liverpool needs to make a rapid decision, and Xabi Alonso’s preference emerges.

The majority of Liverpool supporters have had Xabi Alonso on their wish list ever since Jürgen Klopp revealed he would be leaving Anfield this summer. Even though the former midfield player for the Reds is still very early in his senior management career, his standing is already very high.

His Bayer Leverkusen team is leading the Bundesliga by eight points and hasn’t lost yet this year in any tournament. And Klopp, who thinks the Spaniard is the’standout’ among the next generation of outstanding managers, has even backed him.

He has remained silent thus far regarding his future, stating that his priority was guiding Leverkusen to its first Bundesliga title. In doing so, it would become the first team to stop Bayern Munich from finishing top of the pile since Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund in 2012.

But that eight-point lead over Bayern has ultimately caused some issues for Liverpool and dismissed any notion that the Reds would get a free run at Alonso at the end of the season. The German giants announced on Wednesday that Thomas Tuchel would depart this summer, even if it manages to overhaul Leverkusen in the title race.

And according to the Guardian, Bayern will now hold discussions over rivaling Liverpool to appoint Alonso as its next boss. He ended his playing career in Munich and has previously spoken openly about the influence the club has had on his move into management.

At this stage, it is unclear if Alonso is in fact Liverpool’s top choice to replace Klopp and Sky Germany insists Alonso is focused on the battles ahead with Leverkusen. However, it is claimed that if he is to seek a new challenge, he would prefer a return to the Allianz Arena.

“Bayern Munich has already enquired about Xabi Alonso but we have also heard that Liverpool has also enquired about Xabi Alonso in the last couple of days and weeks,” reporter Florian Plettenberg said. “It is not 100 per cent clear that he will say ‘yes’ to Bayern and all the Bayern bosses are informed about the difficulty of this possible transfer. But my understanding, my information is at this stage, Xabi Alonso is more willing to join Bayern Munich instead of joining Liverpool.”

There is also of course the issue of the current sporting director vacancy. The Athletic reported this week that a failure to bring someone in quickly could impact the search for Klopp’s successor, and any move for Alonso would need to come quickly. The links to the likes of Tim Steidten and Simon Rolfes, who have both worked with Alonso in the past, offered an indication of the path FSG was looking to go down.

But Liverpool cannot afford to put all its eggs in the Alonso basket, so to speak. He is undoubtedly a talented young manager who seems destined for a long career at the top but getting into a bidding war with Bayern over the next few months will not appeal to anyone at Anfield.

Liverpool.com says: Bayern’s decision to part ways with Tuchel couldn’t have come at a worse time for Liverpool in its search for Klopp’s successor. The Spaniard still has a great affinity with his former club and Bayern has been able to see his impressive work with Leverkusen at close hand. If he is Liverpool’s top choice to replace Klopp, he needs to know it.

If Alonso then made it clear he would prefer Bayern, then Liverpool will have to look elsewhere. The likes of Roberto De Zerbi and Roger Schmidt have emerged as candidates in recent weeks too and deserve to be mentioned in a similar breath to Alonso.

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