Liverpool and Bayern Munich dealt potential blow in Xabi Alonso pursuit as Bayer Leverkusen sporting director ‘calm and optimistic’ Spaniard will stay beyond summer

After leading Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga and an eight-point lead over 11-time defending champions Bayern, Alonso has emerged as the hottest property in Europe. With Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp already deciding to step down from their positions, both Liverpool and Bayern are searching for a new head coach for the upcoming campaign. However, Rolfes is unfazed by reports that the two teams have made contact with Alonso in an attempt to persuade him to leave the BayArena.

Speaking to the Frankfurter Rundschau, Rolfes stated [via GFNG]: “I remain calm and optimistic. The most important thing for managers is that they feel comfortable and have the feeling that they are in the right place. Xabi knows what he has at the club. He has said that many times. This is how he works with his team and his coaching team every day. There are many subjunctives in the world. Not everyone has to enter."

Die Schwarzroten have an outstanding undefeated record this season in all competitions, and they are presently eight points clear of Bayern at the top of the table. The closest Leverkusen have come to winning the championship throughout their entire history is placing second during Jupp Heynckes' 2010–11 campaign. The Spaniard, therefore, is currently well on his way to writing club history.

Apart from being the league leaders, they are also in the DFB-Pokal semifinals and have made Europa League round of 16, where they face Qarabag.

The first thing on Alonso's mind will be to focus on the task at hand, as Leverkusen look to win all three trophies available to them. That said, they will likely take that process one game at a time, starting with FC Koln on Sunday, March 3.