Xabi Alonso 'would prefer to join Bayern over Liverpool' after Tuchel sacked

Xabi Alonso would prefer to join Bayern Munich over Liverpool but remains firmly focused on seeing out the season with Bayer Leverkusen, according to reports.

The highly-rated Alonso finds himself at the centre of a tug-of-war between the two heavyweight clubs after leading Leverkusen to the cusp of the Bundesliga title.

His side hold an eight-point advantage over champions Bayern and recently beat them 3-0, a result that proved one of the final nails in Thomas Tuchel's coffin.

After a disastrous week that saw Bayern fall to three successive defeats, including a 1-0 loss to Lazio in the Champions League and a costly slip-up at Bochum, the club confirmed they had decided to part ways with Tuchel at the end of the campaign.

Mail Sport understands that Alonso is their No 1 choice.

And in a major boost for Bayern, Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg believes Alonso would be more inclined to take up their hot seat instead of Liverpool's.

Jurgen Klopp will also step away from his role in May and Alonso, who played at Anfield between 2004 and 2009, is understood to be on the Reds' shortlist.

Alonso is contracted at Leverkusen until June 2026 and was appointed in October 2026. His first season saw him steer them out of the drop zone and into sixth place.

This campaign, Leverkusen remain unbeaten in the German top-flight.

Alonso, a student of Pep Guardiola's style, won three Bundesliga titles, one German Cup and one German Super Cup at Bayern between 2014 and 2017.

Sky Germany have reported that Alonso is unlikely to speak about Bayern's interest either publicly or in private, with his sole focus on Leverkusen's treble bid.

His side remain in contention in the Europa League and the DFB-Pokal.

Bayern's bosses are said to have been informed