How much Real Madrid may have to pay to hire Xabi Alonso | OneFootball

Real Madrid may have to pay an eight-digit sum to break Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen contract and bring him back to the Spanish capital, according to a new report.

The former Madrid midfielder has established himself as one of the modern game's most highly coveted managers since taking over a Leverkusen side second-bottom of the Bundesliga in October 2022. By the summer of 2024, Alonso had overseen an unprecedented, unbeaten domestic season.

Madrid had been reportedly mulling over a move to appoint Alonso last summer, only for Carlo Ancelotti to temporarily secure his future with a La Liga-Champions League double.

After his side were unceremoniously dumped out of Europe's elite club competition by Arsenal earlier this week, numerous reports suggest that Ancelotti's time at Madrid is coming to an end.

It has been claimed that Ancelotti could be turfed out of the Bernabeu in the immediate aftermath of this month's Copa del Rey final against Barcelona - regardless of the result. Madrid are thought to want Alonso at the helm before the Club World Cup which kicks off in June, although the Spanish coach won't come cheap.

As Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes recently reminded everyone, Alonso has a contract with the club until 2026. There is not thought to be a release clause included in that deal, leaving the fee required to break the contract down to Leverkusen's discretion.

Xabi Alonso (left) played under Carlo Ancelotti for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid / JAVIER SORIANO/GettyImages

Spanish outlet AS claim that the defending Bundesliga champions would be willing to accept around €10m (£8.6m). Sky Germany quote a higher price range, suggesting that it will take somewhere between €15m and €20m (£12.9-17.2m) to lure Alonso away from Leverkusen.

If the German outfit do manage to extract £17.2m from Real Madrid, Alonso would become the most expensive manager in La Liga's history and the third-costliest head coach of all time. Graham Potter's ultimately doomed move to Chelsea set the Blues back around £20m while Bayern Munich reportedly splashed £21.7m to recruit Julian Nagelsmann from RB Leipzig.

Sky also claim that Alonso's agent Inaki Ibanez has been in discussions with Real Madrid about the potential appointment of his client for the best part of two weeks - predating the Spanish side's Champions League elimination. Madrid, however, are yet to strike a deal with Leverkusen.

Alonso, for his part, has done his best to downplay the rampant speculation. "For us [the rumours about Real Madrid] are nothing," he told assembled media this week. "We're focused on the season ahead. We have to remember that the season isn't over yet. We still have five league games left to play, and we must keep that very clear in our minds.

"We shouldn't talk about the future; it's not good for us to lose focus. The issue isn't important now. I don't want to talk too much about speculation, rumours, or the future. I've never done that with the players or the team. It's not good for proper preparation."