Xabi Alonso confirms he will leave Bayer Leverkusen at end of season

Xabi Alonso will step down as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, the German club have announced. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.

Xabi Alonso will step down as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, the German club have announced.

Alonso has been heavily linked with the Real Madrid head coach position after a remarkable two and a half years at Leverkusen.

Last season the former Liverpool and Real midfielder led Leverkusen to a domestic double, which included going unbeaten for the whole Bundesliga campaign.

They also reached the Europa League final before losing to Italian side Atalanta.

Leverkusen said they had agreed to Alonso's request to cut short his existing contract, which was due to run until the summer of 2026.