Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has dismissed speculation identifying him as a potential successor to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Ancelotti's future at the Santiago Bernabeu is in doubt following Real Madrid's disappointing UEFA Champions League elimination against Arsenal.
Alonso has been strongly connected with Los Blancos in recent days and the former Real Madrid midfielder is highly regarded following a fruitful first managerial stint at Bayer Leverkusen.
The 43-year-old guided Die Werkself to their first Meisterschale with an unprecedented undefeated campaign and Leverkusen were 90 minutes from going the entire season unbeaten in all competitions before succumbing to defeat against Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League final.
This year has proved more tricky, but Leverkusen still remain on the coattails of perennial winners Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
With the club still in contention of retaining their league crown, Alonso was coy on what lay ahead.
"It's not a good time to discuss the future. We're at a very important moment in the season," responded Alonso when quizzed ahead of Leverkusen's Bundesliga clash with FC St. Pauli.
I don't want to talk about speculation and rumours. [I understand] that this is happening, but what's more important to me is what's happening right now.
Alonso was previously linked with Liverpool following the news of Jurgen Klopp's departure, a vacancy which was eventually filled by Arne Slot.
The former Spain midfielder, who won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League during a five-year spell with Real Madrid as a player from 2009, reiterated his commitment to Leverkusen following a meeting with the club's hierarchy as Bayern Munich also circled in their hunt for a new manager.
Amid growing speculation, Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro outlined how he expects Alonso to stay beyond the current season.
“I would have been happier if Madrid had won by a landslide and the coaching position at Madrid had been secured,” Carro told Sky Germany. “It’s normal in football that when a team like Real Madrid loses 3-0 to Arsenal in the quarter-finals, that the rumour mill starts churning. I would have preferred to avoid that.”
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