A second Premier League team made a few for Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, according to reports.
Alonso, 42, has quickly become one of the most sought after managers across world football after guiding his Leverkusen side to the top of the Bundesliga table - ten points clear of Bayern Munich in second.
With both Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel set to depart Liverpool and Bayern at the end of the current campaign, the two teams registered their interest in appointing Alonso to the role.
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For both European giants, the former midfielder was the frontrunner for the role but he has since put these rumours to bed after confirming he will remain at the BayArena for the foreseeable future.
"We have had a lot of speculation regarding my future," Alonso said. "Until now we have had so many games, been pretty busy and focused, and I wanted to reflect during the international break and take a decision.
"The players gave me so many reasons to keep believing in the team - for their commitment, for their desire, for their hunger to have a great season. My job is not over here."
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Despite Liverpool and Bayern being listed as the two main teams vying for Alonso's signature, there was also a third team involved in the chase.
According to Fussball Transfers, Chelsea made a late approach to secure Alonso as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino - less than a year after the Argentinian was appointed to the role.
The report claims the Blues 'gathered' information on the Spanish coach as Pochettino's chances of remaining at Stamford Bridge begin to thin.
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Chelsea are currently in the bottom half of the Premier League table, despite spending over £1 billion on their squad across recent transfer windows.
Pochettino guided his side to the Carabao Cup final earlier in the season - but was unable to beat Liverpool in the final. Chelsea's final hopes of silverware in the 2023/24 - and possibly Pochettino's last hope of saving his job - lie in the FA Cup, as they face Manchester City in the semi-final in April.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Chelsea, Liverpool, Xabi Alonso, Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp