Ex-Chelsea & Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas & former Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag emerge as frontrunners to replace outgoing Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen

On Friday, Alonso announced that he will exit Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, as Sky Sports in Germany reported that the Spanish coach is on his way to join Real Madrid. The Spaniard spent almost three seasons at the Bundesliga club, where he won the German championship and the DFB Pokal title in the 2023-24 campaign and guided the club to the Europa League final.

With Alonso set to leave the club, the former Bundesliga winners have already begun their search for a new head coach and Kicker now reports that they have narrowed in on Como manager Cesc Fabregas and former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

The report adds that the Dutch coach is likely to demand a salary significantly less compared to his €12 million (£10m/$13m) wages at Old Trafford. On the other hand, for Fabregas, Leverkusen will have to pay a transfer fee as the Spaniard has a contract with Como until 2028. So while the ex-Chelsea and Arsenal star's salary will be lower than Ten Hag's, the final amount, including a fee, will see the German club ending up paying a similar amount.

The Madrid-bound coach will oversee the final two matches of Leverkusen's 2024-25 campaign against Dortmund and Mainz on May 11 and 17, respectively.