Next Liverpool manager: Managerial 'target' wanted by Newcastle United

Liverpool managerial target Julian Nagelsmann is also being targeted by Newcastle United, who could move on from Eddie Howe this summer, it is reported.

The search for Jurgen Klopp's replacement will dominate the headlines from now until the end of the season and the main names being mentioned are Roberto De Zerbi, Xabi Alonso and Nagelsmann. Currently, he is contracted to manage his country at the European Championships this summer but he will be free to step back into club management after that.

According to Christian Falk at SportBILD, Newcastle are targeting the 36-year-old this summer as a potential replacement for Howe - he wrote on X: 'Exclusive: Newcastle is interested in Julian Nagelsmann (36) for summer. The German National coach has not decided yet if he want to return to a club or sign a new contract. Nagelsmann is in the same agency like Newcastle‘s Fabian Schär'.

Nagelsmann was sacked by Bayern Munich in March 2023 before Thomas Tuchel arrived to guide them to their 11th Bundesliga title in a row. He did manage to win the league title the year before as well as back-to-back German cups.

His breakthrough at RB Leipzig featured his sides playing entertaining and free-flowing football as they managed a Champions League semi-final and third-place finish in the 2019/20 season as he proved to be the most exciting young manager in Europe.

However, there are some doubts over him at the current time given how his time at Bayern ended and his underwhelming start to life at international level. Liverpool are considering Nagelsmann as an alternative option should negotiations with Alonso not materialise, according to The Telegraph. There's still a chance he could stay at Leverkusen to continue his journey with the young team he's built which could see Liverpool move for another target.

In terms of the latest reports, Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that he had heard no new news on the future of Alonso. Speaking to CaughtOffside, the Italian transfer guru reported that there is nothing new on Alonso to Liverpool from what he knows, despite other reports: “We’re hearing fresh stories about Liverpool and positive talks over Xabi Alonso, and while I respect other journalists and their sources, my understanding is that there is nothing new to report on this saga,” Romano began. “I honestly have no news yet on Xabi Alonso.

“It’s normal that we have many reports, one day reports on being close to Bayern, one day same on Liverpool, but my understanding is nothing is decided or close yet. Alonso is 100% focused on doing something historical at Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile both Liverpool and Bayern want him, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”