The door is open for Alonso at Madrid: Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti said the "doors are open" for Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid after hearing the news that the Spaniard will leave his post as Bayer Leverkusen coach at the end of the season.
Alonso will call time on a memorable three years with the Bundesliga club, having guided it to its first top-flight title in 2023-2024, going unbeaten during that campaign.
The 43-year-old also lifted the DFB-Pokal last season and started the 2024-2025 campaign with victory in the DFL-Supercup final against Stuttgart.
Alonso has taken charge of 138 matches across all competitions with Leverkusen, winning 89 of them.
After a fine debut season, Alonso signed a contract extension in August 2023 to run to 2026, but Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro said they had a "gentleman's agreement" that would allow Alonso to leave should one of the clubs he played for came calling.
It is expected that Alonso is heading to the Spanish capital to take over from Ancelotti, who has been linked with a move to become the Brazil national team boss.
Ancelotti, who coached Alonso at Bayern Munich and Madrid, believes he could be a good fit for Los Blancos given his recent success with Leverkusen.
"I read that he's leaving Bayer Leverkusen," Ancelotti said. "He's done an incredible job and the doors are open to him because he's proven to be one of the best in the world."
Despite the rumours continuing to circulate around his future, Ancelotti insisted he was still in the "honeymoon" period during his second spell in Madrid.
"If he [Alonso] represents Real Madrid better than anyone else, I don't know that," Ancelotti added.
"Real Madrid is a special club that requires a special attitude from everyone who works here: players, coach, staff.
"With this club, the honeymoon never ends. Real Madrid, like Milan before them, are clubs that remain in my heart for the time I've been here and for the relationships.
"When the pressure goes down, the affection rises. The honeymoon with Madrid will last until the last day of my life."
Ancelotti is preparing for Madrid's highly-anticipated Clasico encounter with Barcelona on Monday (AEST), which will be his 350th match in charge of the club.
He is only the second manager to surpass that total, after Miguel Munoz (595), and will likely leave Madrid as its most successful manager, winning 15 titles across his two spells.
The Italian has won 247 of his 349 games in charge across all competitions, with his teams scoring 825 goals and averaging a win percentage of 70.77.
"It's not that complicated. Lisbon, Paris, and London. It's not that complicated for these 350. I don't remember all 350," Ancelotti said.
"In some games we've done well, and others are better to forget because they're not always done well."
But he has struggled against Barca, losing 12 of his 25 matches against it in all competitions, more than against any other opponent in his entire managerial career.
Three of those defeats have come this season, including losses in the Supercopa de Espana and Copa del Rey finals.
Madrid is four points behind Barca in LaLiga and, despite the possibility of a rare trophyless season, Ancelotti said his players are relishing the test in El Clasico.
He added: "It's not difficult to motivate the players because it's a type of match for which they already come out motivated and full of confidence."
