Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing both Florian Wirtz and manager Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen next year.
Attacking midfielder Wirtz was a standout performer in the 2023-24 season, helping Die Schwarzroten win both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal unbeaten.
Wirtz produced 11 goals and 11 assists in 36 league appearances last term, scoring 18 times and assisting on 19 occasions across all competitions.
The German is contracted to Leverkusen until 2027 and has long been admired by sides such as Bayern Munich, as has manager Alonso, who was linked to the Bavarians before the appointment of Vincent Kompany.
However, Sky Germany reports that while Leverkusen would rather keep Wirtz and Alonso at the club for as long as possible, their preference would be for both to move abroad should they decide to depart.
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Alonso and Wirtz double deal?
Leverkusen were thrilled to have kept Alonso at the club for the 2024-25 campaign, especially as his former sides Liverpool and Bayern Munich were both looking to appoint new managers in this past summer.
Alonso has also been routinely linked to Real Madrid, another one of his former teams, and some see the Leverkusen boss as the perfect replacement for legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Indeed, with Real struggling to get the best out of superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior this season, questions have arisen about the long-term future of Ancelotti.
Real have also been linked with Wirtz, with it reported that the chances of both Alonso and the German ending up in the Spanish capital are increasing.
It is also claimed that Wirtz has held talks with Bayern Munich, though whether Kompany's side would pay Leverkusen's purported asking price of €90m-€100m (£75.5m-£83.9m) remains to be seen.
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Real and Leverkusen future
It is difficult to underestimate how much of a loss losing both their manager and star attacker would be for Leverkusen, especially considering the team were in the Bundesliga's relegation zone prior to Alonso's arrival.
Having said that, the club appear to at least be proactive in looking for a replacement for Alonso, with outstanding managerial talents such as Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeness linked.
The loss of Wirtz could arguably be more significant than losing the Spanish boss, as finding someone of comparable potential in the German's position is unlikely in the immediate future.
As for Real, the transition from Ancelotti to Alonso could be quite smooth given that the Spaniard is a respected former player and proved his tactical acumen when he produced the first ever unbeaten season in the history of the Bundesliga.
Fitting Wirtz into the Real XI could be somewhat problematic, particularly as he would likely be battling other talents such as Arda Guler, Bellingham and Rodrygo for a starting spot, but the Champions League holders have a track record of meshing the world's best talents into their team.
Lewis Nolan
![Germany's Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz celebrate the team's first goal on June 14, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/11/29/1x1.gif?w=1&h=1 "Germany's Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz celebrate the team's first goal on June 14, 2024 [IMAGO]")
