Alonso close to taking over at Chelsea

Chelsea are closing in on the appointment of ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso as the club’s head coach.

The former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss, 44, is expected to sign a four-year deal in the coming days to succeed Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month.

Fulham’s Marco Silva is among those to have been considered by Chelsea, but Alonso is the first choice.

Interim manager Calum McFarlane has been in temporary charge, overseeing Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat against Manchester City at Wembley.

Alonso has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January after less than eight months in charge at the Bernabeu.

Prior to his spell in Spain, he enjoyed a stunning stint in Germany, leading Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title — secured without losing a single game—as well as the German Cup during the 2023-24 campaign.

He has been heavily linked with his former club Liverpool, but appears to be heading to west London.