Amid speculation surrounding Carlo Ancelotti’s future in Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso was allowed to leave Bayer Leverkusen for the Spanish Giants.
While the report shows that Real Madrid has not yet made a definite decision on the fate of the Italian manager, many observers believe that changes are about to happen.
Ancelotti’s chances of retaining his position seem to be largely dependent on securing Liga and Copa del Rey Double in the final six weeks of the season.
His recent shift in speech about his future shows growing uncertainty. He acknowledged that the decision on his term will be made at the end of the season, in stark contrast to his previous assertions about club support.
In a major development, Bayer Leverkusen’s CEO Fernando Carro confirmed that Alonso had a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the club for any of the four teams he played in his outstanding career: Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
According to Sport, Carlo said Leverkusen granted Alonso a three to four-week schedule to make a final decision on his future. The report also noted that Leverkusen has set the deadline for Alonso’s response.
If Alonso decides to leave Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid will have to pay €12 million in compensation.
Although Leverkusen’s sports director Simon Rolfes showed that Alonso was committed to the club a few months ago.
Interestingly, just before that statement, Alonso reportedly prepared to publicly declare his future when Real Madrid stepped in, asking him to postpone any announcements.
Real Madrid plans to end their La Liga campaign around May 24 or 25. They will then have about three and a half weeks to prepare for the club World Cup in the United States.
International breaks will cause many players to leave duty with the national team, which will complicate this preparation period.
It is unclear whether Alonso is willing to take a management role before the club’s World Cup, if Ancelotti continues to be a coach, or if a temporary solution is needed.
