'Real Madrid for him next' - Liverpool fans left in pure disbelief as in-demand Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso snubs Reds AND Bayern Munich

Reports emerged on Thursday evening that Alonso was unlikely to figure on the shortlist to replace the outgoing Jurgen Klopp, with Bayern Munich's hopes of landing the Spaniard dashed on Friday when news broke that Europe's hottest managerial property had decided to stay put in Leverkusen for another season.

Absorbing the news that leaves both clubs no nearer to filling their managerial vacancies, fans took to social media to air their feelings.

"Big for the Bundesliga. Real [Madrid] for him next," reacted German account @nside_pro_footb.

On the influential Liverpool account, The Anfield Wrap, fans still reeling from Jurgen Klopp's announcement reacted.

"I think the fans love Alonso more than Alonso loves our club. We need to move on," said @jayellcee7791.

"Depressed no matter who we get," bemoaned @styz0r.

"I was all in on Xabi to be honest, none of those other names inspire much confidence in me," posted @TheGraySon72.

Others were more upbeat such as @PhilBlundell, who said: "The thing with managers is that there’s always other ones. If someone doesn’t want to manage Liverpool, which is the case here, there is absolutely no point wasting a second on it."

"Xabi's loss," said a defiant @paulmcmasterLFC. "Whoever we get is inheriting a superb group of footballers."

The news came as something of a surprise with a decision expected much closer to the season's end as his all-conquering side conclude a season that sees them unbeaten in a remarkable 49 games across all competitions. As the fans' replies show, the revelation is likely to lead many to presume that Alonso is now primed to become the successor to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid when the Italian calls time on his second spell in the Spanish capital.

Alonso will hope that this puts an end to all the gossip and allows his team to focus on their run-in. Leverkusen host Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon as they close in on what would be an historic first Bundesliga title.