Winning the Xabi Alonso battle would be Bayern Munich's ultimate act of Bundesliga burglary

It's hard to remember a summer where there is expected to be so much managerial change at the very top of the game. Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona all already know that they need to be looking for new faces in the dugout, while Manchester United and Chelsea could yet join them in that search. Factor in potential departures from top international jobs following the European Championship and Copa America, and the number of elite-level vacancies could be at an all-time high.

With a finite number of top-tier candidates to go around, Alonso would seem to be the best. Barring a legendary collapse, the Spain legend will end Bayern's 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga, all while playing eye-catching football on a limited budget.

When he took over just 18 months ago, Leverkusen were in the relegation zone, were poor defensively and had no real attacking direction. Since then, despite losing some of his top talents, Alonso has reinvented the team. They are yet to lose this season, will probably claim the league crown by at least 10 points, and are among the favourties to win the Europa League, too.

The Spaniard has united a disillusioned fan base, got the best out of some of Europe's best young talents, and found the kind of value in the transfer market that big clubs across Europe consistently fail to seek out. It is only natural, then, that Alonso is the manager everyone wants. In a game that relies so heavily on marginal gains and minute advantages, Alonso would seem to be the kind of coach that could get the best out of any team.

For Bayern, then, hiring Alonso would make a lot of sense. For all of their domestic success, it has been a tricky two years in Bavaria. Julian Nageslmann never truly convinced as a manager, and things had become unsustainable when he was sacked in March 2023 - despite the fact that he had the side alive in domestic and European competitions.

Thomas Tuchel seemed set to turn things around. The smart tactician worked wonders at Chelsea, and was handed the kind of squad at Bayern that could not only retain their Bundesliga crown with ease, but also push for European success. The reality proved somewhat different; Bayern were handily beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals and required a remarkable Borussia Dortmund collapse to snag the Bundesliga title in the dying stages of the final day.

And they haven't improved since then. Losses in cup competitions and inconsistent league form have them out of the picture for a domestic prize. European success would also seem unlikely at this point, with first Arsenal and then either Man City or Real Madrid in their path when it comes to reaching the Champions League final.

There is a real chance this could be a trophy-less season at the Allianz Arena, and Tuchel has already agreed to leave at the end of the campaign. Bayern need a new manager, and Alonso is the best available.

But they're not the only club looking to snag Alonso. The next few months are poised to be the playing out of a high-profile race between two of the manager's former clubs to secure his services as Liverpool, too, are looking for a new face in the dugout after Jurgen Klopp announced his intent to leave at the end of the season.

The Reds would seem to have similar criteria for a new manager. Not only are they looking for a clever tactician, they also require a prominent leader, one that can connect to a fanbase that will undoubtedly have questions following the departure of such a legendary figure in Klopp. Alonso is perhaps the only manager on the market who would fit both remits.

Early reports suggested that he was the most likely man to take the job - and was leaning towards a move to England at the end of the season, but talk of him favouring Bayern has since gathered steam, as have reports of Liverpool considering alternatives. Alonso, for his part, has stayed quiet, denying links to both clubs.

Looking within the Bundesliga for their next game-changer is hardly new territory for Bayern, who have made it part of their business model to bring in the best talents from their domestic rivals.

Klopp knows that all too well. In April 2013, Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund's attacking midfielder and presumed next star of the Bundesliga, agreed to join Bayern in a €37 million deal, making him then the most-expensive German player of all time. The transfer severed already fractious relations between the two clubs, and Klopp implied that the timing of the deal - breaking just 24 hours before his side's Champions League semi-final - was engineered to destabilise his team's season.

Gotze wasn't the only one, though. Robert Lewandowski followed him the following year, agreeing to join Bayern on a free transfer after Dortmund refused to sell him in the summer of 2013 - even though they knew he had no plans to sign a new contract the following year.

And that pattern has only continued since. Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Niklas Sule, Mats Hummels and Benjamin Pavard were all stolen from Bayern's domestic rivals, while even further back in time, Michael Ballack and Manuel Neuer also arrived from key competitors.

This one, admittedly feels slightly different. Dortmund and Bayern's relationship deteriorated through the 2010s, as the two clubs went to war in the press and intentionally made deals as difficult as possible to work out.

Leverkusen and Bayern have no such issues. In recent years, there has been no real need for tension between the two sides - such has been the difference in their league positions and lack of transfer activity. Even this year, the distance between the two sides is so significant that talk of a managerial switch feels slightly hollow. And Bayern, so wrapped up in their own problems with contract negotiations, poor performances, and an outspoken sporting director, have little time to turn this whole saga into a media war.

Perhaps more broadly, though, the fact that this is a coach - and not a top player - potentially on the move, makes things less chaotic. Should Florian Wirtz, Alejandro Grimaldo or Jeremie Frimpong have their gaze turned towards the Allianz Arena, then things might be different. With managers, there are more control - and perhaps better relationships as a result.

Still, there remains that inescapable sense that stealing Alonso - even under amicable circumstances - would be Bayern's biggest coup in years. The Spaniard has near-singlehandedly turned a flailing side into Bundesliga champions, ending the Bavarians' vice-like grip on the league title. His management alone is more dangerous than the litany of playing talents who could perhaps move to the Allianz Arena.

Not only would Bayern immediately become a more dangerous unit, but Leverkusen would also go through a summer of uncertainty. Grimaldo, Frimpong, Victor Boniface and perhaps even Wirtz could see their futures called into question in the absence of the manager who helped them reach new heights. This would be a destabilising move, one that would end 18 months of rapid growth, while making Bayern markedly stronger in the short term.

There are no guarantees, and Alonso could yet join Liverpool. He might even stay put for another year, attempt to repeat, and gamble on the potential availability of the Real Madrid job 15 months from now. But should everything align, and should the increasingly substantial rumours prove true, then Bayern might be about to pull off their greatest Bundesliga robbery yet.