Didi Hamann sends Liverpool stern Bayern Munich Xabi Alonso warning amid reports of 'talks'

Didi Hamann has warned Liverpool that Bayern Munich have a 'love affair' with their managerial target Xabi Alonso.

With Jurgen Klopp set to depart at the end of the season, finding a suitable replacement is virtually impossible but there are a few quality names being spoken about. Alonso is comfortably the frontrunner due to the incredible job he is currently doing with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany; his side are 11 points clear in the Bundesliga and unbeaten after 34 games this campaign.

Other targets include Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim, Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi and German manager Julian Nagelsmann but Alonso stands out for his style of play, demeanour on the touchline and his ability to get the best out of players. The latest regarding his future from SportBILD in Germany is that Alonso has made no decision about his future and Alonso didn‘t say to Bayern that he prefers a move to Munich over Liverpool.

Speaking to Boylesports, Hamann the former midfielder explained Bayern's desire to land Alonso in the summer which could spell trouble for Liverpool who have him as their number one choice to replace Klopp. “Bayern would’ve been in touch because he’s well-liked and played here during the latest stages of his career.

"Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (former Bayern CEO now board member) is a big fan of his and has spoken in words of the highest order about Xabi Alonso, and it’s almost a love affair. I think they won’t leave any stone unturned in trying to bring him to the club, whether it’s financially or something else, or possibly players he wants to bring in."

Despite those words, he also went onto say that following Klopp could be an impossible task given how managers fared in the aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger's long reigns.

"He’s probably the ideal candidate because he knows how Liverpool work. He’s adored by the Liverpool faithful and the fans loved him when he played there, the only thing I would say is that following Klopp is not an easy thing to do and that is a decision he has to make, whether he wants to be the first guy to follow Klopp.

"If you look at Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, they had unsteady times and went through managers in the years after they left, which is always a danger. Xabi is a very smart guy and if he wants the job then he will be the perfect candidate and if anyone can follow in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps then it might be him.”