Xabi Alonso becoming Real Madrid manager feels inevitable after Bayer Leverkusen boss rejected Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

The former Blancos midfielder has opted to remain with the Bundesliga leaders for now, but a switch to the Bernabeu could follow.

The saga is over, sort of. Neither Liverpool nor Bayern Munich know who will be their manager next season, but they can at least cross one name of both of their shortlists: Xabi Alonso. After all-but wrapping up the 2023-24 Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen, it emerged that Alonso - who was widely assumed to be leaving this summer - will stay for one more year.

And that makes sense. Alonso may have achieved something remarkable this season, and could yet end it with three trophies and an invincible campaign. But there's still a sense that there remains unfinished business for him at the BayArena. Leverkusen now have Champions League football to look forward to, and perhaps a bit more spending power in the summer could see them well-positioned to defend their domestic crown - especially with Bayern facing thin market for a new coach this summer.

But there are darker forces at play here. For all of the feel-good talk of Alonso 'running it back', there is a presumptive licking of lips from the shadows in the Spanish capital. His decision to push back an assumed exit leaves Real Madrid with terrifying flexibility, as football's most-wanted coach now seems destined to take his talents to Santiago Bernabeu as early as 2025.

For months, it was widely assumed that Alonso would leave Leverkusen at the end of the season. All of the pieces seemed to be falling into place after an exhausted Jurgen Klopp announced that this campaign would be his last on Merseyside, while the crumbling of Bayern's season meant that the disgruntled board had no choice but to get rid of the openly displeased Thomas Tuchel. Two of Alonso's former clubs were now looking for a new coach, and that was just the start of a managerial merry-go-round that will also include Barcelona after Xavi's decision to step down, and could yet be added to by Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus.

The rumours took off quickly, with both Liverpool and Bayern reported as being at the front of the queue for the former midfielder at various points over the past couple of months. On Thursday, however, the tone of the reporting changed. Suddenly, both clubs had given up on their presumed primary target.

Why? Alonso had spent the March international break mulling over his future, and returned to tell his team that he would stay for at least one more season. This summer's big prize was off the market.