Liverpool FC News: The latest on Xabi Alonso, Thomas Tuchel and Bayern Munich - and what it means

Xabi Alonso is a target to take over at Bayern Munich manager in the summer, with Liverpool set to face competition for the highly rated coach.

Bayern suffered their third loss in a row this weekend, falling 3-2 to Bochum on Sunday.

That result follows a 1-0 midweek defeat to Lazio in the Champions League and an embarrassing 3-0 reverse at Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.

The reigning German champions' form has left them eight points off the top of the Bundesliga after 22 games.

Bayern cancelled a press conference following the game against Bochum, with many expecting news to follow of under-fire head coach Thomas Tuchel's sacking.

However, Tuchel remains in his position for now, with Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen giving his support to the former Chelsea boss.

He told the media after the loss to Bochum: "I feel rubbish. I don't believe in big statements about the coach. This issue isn't on our mind at the moment. Of course [Tuchel will be in charge next week]."

Despite the public stance, there remains an expectation that Bayern will change direction in the summer, if not before.

While previous reports have already linked Alonso to the Munich club where he spent three years as a player, the Athletic now claim the 42-year-old former midfielder is "high on the list of targets".

The Athletic also add that former boss Hansi Flick has been "sounded out" about returning to Bayern. However, there are doubts internally about his re-appointment given his recent failure as Germany manager.

Alonso's stock, meanwhile, couldn't be much higher, with the Spaniard overseeing unprecedented success at Leverkusen.

Having taken over in 2022, with the club flirting with a relegation battle, he led them to European qualification by the end of 2022/23, while they currently lead the Bundesliga by eight points.

Most impressively, Alonso's Leverkusen are unbeaten in all competitions in 2023/24, equalling a German record for the best-ever start to the season.

While Leverkusen chiefs have attempted to play down talk that Alonso could leave this summer, speculation over his future is rife.

Previous reports claim the Spaniard has a clause in his contract in Germany that would allow him to leave for one of his former clubs — Liverpool, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich — while Barcelona have also been mentioned as a potential next destination for the coach.

Since Jurgen Klopp's shock announcement to leave Liverpool at the end of the current campaign, Alonso has emerged as them clear frontrunner to take over at Anfield.

Speaking ahead of the win over Brentford this weekend, Klopp hailed Alonso as a 'standout' among a new generation of coaches.

"Xabi is doing an incredible job," Klopp said. "That's ­completely independent [of reports linking Alonso to Liverpool]. If you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone: 'Oh my God.'

"The dinosaurs, if you want -- [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jose] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, maybe me -- we will not do it for the next 20 years. OK, maybe Mourinho will.

"The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is standout in that department."