Real Madrid face Xabi Alonso competition from a familiar foe | OneFootball

La Liga giants Real Madrid will not have it all their own way in future efforts to lure Xabi Alonso to the club.

That’s according to Diario AS, who have this weekend added a new name to the list of the former Real midfielder’s suitors.

Alonso has of course seen his name take its place front and centre in the headlines across all of Europe for some time now.

As much comes amid nothing short of a historic campaign on the part of the Spaniard’s Bayer Leverkusen.

Deep into April, Bayer are yet to fall to a single defeat across all competitions, with the Bundesliga title in the bag, and sights set on both the DFB-Pokal, and Europa League, too.

Such remarkable exploits have given rise to inevitable links between Alonso and a whole host of the continent’s top clubs, the 42-year-old increasingly considered a generational tactician in the making.

Alonso, for his part, has already committed his future to his current employers for next season, having rebuffed the advances of both Liverpool, and Bayern Munich.

As much, it has since been claimed, comes with the ex-midfielder having set his sights firmly on a move to Real Madrid in the near future.

With Carlo Ancelotti expected to depart upon the conclusion of his contract in 2026, Alonso is understood to have set his sights firmly on the Santiago Bernabéu hotseat.

The interest on the part of Los Blancos, meanwhile, is very much mutual.

And yet, a spanner could be thrown in the works of Florentino Pérez and co, in efforts to bring Alonso in in two years’ time.

As per the aforementioned AS, also hot on the trail of the Leverkusen headmaster are Premier League champions Manchester City.

With concern mounting that beloved boss Pep Guardiola is set to depart in a little over 12 months’ time, his fellow countryman is considered a leading target to act as his successor at The Etihad.

It remains to be seen just how strong Alonso’s commitment to the Real Madrid post truly is…

Conor Laird | GSFN