Florentino identifies Xabi Alonso as replacement if Ancelotti departs: Reports

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly identified club legend Xabi Alonso as a potential replacement for manager Carlo Ancelotti.

As reported by Spanish outlet El Nacional, Alonso will be Perez's first choice if Ancelotti leaves at the end of the season. Despite the Italian insisting that he is fully focused on Real Madrid, rumors of the Italian taking charge of Brazil are gathering momentum. It has been claimed that the Selecao are desperate to land the four-time Champions League-winning manager as their next boss.

Ancelotti is currently contracted at the Santiago Bernabeu until the summer of 2024 but could end his second stint at the club prematurely. As claimed by El Nacional, the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, and Mauricio Pochettino have all been named as potential successors to Ancelotti.

However, Perez is understood to be interested in bringing in Alonso as the next Real Madrid boss. The Spaniard has done wonders in his short managerial career so far, with Bayer Leverkusen having joined the German side in October 2022.

When the Spaniard took over at the BayArena, Bayer Leverkusen were struggling in 16th place in the Bundesliga table. They are now sixth in the table and just six points behind fourth-placed SC Freiburg. Bayer Leverkusen are now 13 games unbeaten and have also progressed into the Europa League semi-finals where they will play Jose Mourinho's AS Roma.

Alonso spent the best years of his playing career on the books of Real Madrid between 2009 and 2014. Following his £30 million move from Liverpool in 2009, he established himself as a modern-day legend at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He won five trophies during his time with Los Blancos, including one La Liga title and one UEFA Champions League trophy.