Report – The fees Real Madrid paid Bayer Leverkusen for Xabi Alonso | OneFootball

Real Madrid officially presented Xabi Alonso as their new manager earlier today after having announced his announcement on Sunday.

The former midfielder and club legend has signed a three-year contract with Los Blancos until 2028 and will start on the job right away, with the FIFA Club World Cup next month being his first challenge.

Real Madrid did not get Alonso for free

Xabi Alonso joined Real Madrid from Bayer Leverkusen, where he was under contract until June 2026.

Initially, it was suggested that Alonso would join the Merengues for free, based on a supposed gentleman’s agreement between the coach and the German club.

However, according to Kicker (h/t SPORT), Real Madrid are paying a fee between €12 and €15 million in order to secure his release from Bayer Leverkusen.

Alonso has arrived at Real Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The alleged agreement between Alonso and Leverkusen would allow him to leave should he receive an offer from one of the clubs he had previously played for – Real Sociedad, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, or Real Madrid – for free.

But that is not the case as far as the aforementioned report is concerned, with Real Madrid having had to shell out a sizeable sum of €12-15 million for Alonso’s signing.

As mentioned earlier, the 43-year-old manager has signed a three-year contract with the Merengues.

It will be the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner’s third stint at the club – his first was as a player between 2009 and 2014 and his second one came in 2018 when he coached youth teams at La Fabrica while completing the UEFA elite coaching course in Madrid.