ERIK TEN HAG and Cesc Fabregas are the leading candidates to replace Xabi Alonso as Bayer Leverkusen boss this summer, according to reports.
Alonso, 43, announced on Friday that he is leaving Leverkusen at the end of the season having led the club to an undefeated Bundesliga title last term.
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Now the retired midfielder appears to be heading to former club Real Madrid to replace Carlo Ancelotti in the hot-seat of one of football’s biggest jobs.
Now Leverkusen are out to find his replacement and it appears that former Man Utd boss Ten Hag and ex-Arsenal star Fabregas, 38, are the top targets for the German outfit.
Ten Hag, 55, has been without a job since he was sacked by United in October, while Fabregas has impressed during his maiden season in charge of Italian outfit Como in Serie A.
German outlet Kicker claim the pair are “neck-and-neck” for the vacancy as thing stand.
It’s thought that Ten Hag would command a higher wage packet than Fabregas, but Leverkusen would have to fork out in excess of £10m to convince Como to let go of Fabregas – given his current contract runs until 2028.
Fabregas, whose Como side are on course for a top-half finish in Serie A despite only gaining promotion last term, is understood to have a long list of suitors.
While Ten Hag has been waiting to find the right job for himself, revealing in February that he “didn’t know” what the next step in his career would be.
He told SEG Stories: “I don’t know how my career will develop. But I’m going to try my best.
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“Provided something comes along that suits me. There are so many other things I could do.
“Maybe in football, in a new position as a manager. That’s an option. And maybe something completely different.
“I’ve been working with my brothers lately. We have our own company. Or rather: they have their own company.
“But we also run a company together with our father. That’s also something I love to do.
“I can now give that more attention and it’s also a lot of fun.”
It’s claimed that Ten Hag has already begun negotiations with Leverkusen over the job, but nothing is yet agreed.
Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United in October despite winning both the League Cup and FA Cup in his first two seasons as Red Devils boss.
The 55-year-old was axed while United were languishing in 14th place in the Premier League – one spot higher than the position they hold (15th) some six months later.
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