It seems that, little by little, the pieces of the puzzle surrounding the future of the Real Madrid bench are starting to fall into place. Just a few days ago, ‘The Athletic’ revealed that the announcement of Carlo Ancelotti's departure won’t wait until the end of LaLiga, and that it will be made after El Clásico against Barcelona. Well, according to ‘MARCA’, Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid have already reached an agreement for him to take over from the man who once coached him.

Ancelotti's departure has been in the works since the elimination against Arsenal

Many speculated that Carlo Ancelotti might fulfill the final year of his contract, which runs through 2026, if he managed to win the LaLiga title. In fact, Ancelotti himself stated in a press conference that he wouldn’t discuss his future until May 25, convinced the situation could change. However, ‘MARCA’ reports that Real Madrid informed Ancelotti of their decision after the quarterfinal elimination in the Champions League against Arsenal.

From that moment on, although the decision hasn’t yet been made public, both parties began heading in different directions. On one hand, Carlo Ancelotti began accelerating the steps to become the new head coach of Brazil for the 2026 World Cup. On the other, Santiago Bernabéu's offices began exploring the market for the next coach to follow the most decorated manager in Real Madrid's history.

Details of Xabi Alonso’s arrival at Real Madrid

In the end, although there was also consideration of trying to lure Jürgen Klopp from the Red Bull Group, Real Madrid’s top priority has always been to secure Xabi Alonso’s return to the Santiago Bernabéu, and it now seems they’ve done just that. In fact, according to information obtained by ‘MARCA’, Xabi Alonso has already signed a contract binding him to Real Madrid for the next three seasons. For its part, Bayern Leverkusen will not oppose his departure… though it will receive a small compensation.

In any case, both parties have reached an agreement for Xabi Alonso to assume his new role after the Club World Cup, as he wants to start his project from scratch. Real Madrid has agreed to this scenario… in exchange for setting certain conditions. Especially in terms of signings, where Xabi Alonso has already been told that all incoming transfers next summer will be handled by the sporting department, not based on his requests.