Leverkusen, Germany: Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season, amid mounting speculation that he is set for a return to Real Madrid. “This is the right moment to announce it,” said the Spaniard on Friday, ahead of what will be his final home match on Sunday. “Clarity is good for everyone.”

The 43-year-old informed his players of the decision prior to training on Friday, ending weeks of rumours about his future. Alonso’s contract with Leverkusen runs until 2026, but he has chosen to depart a year early.

A former Real Madrid midfielder, Alonso guided Leverkusen to a historic league and cup double last season, having taken charge in October 2022 when the team was battling relegation in the Bundesliga. “I think that we can be happy, we can be proud of what we have achieved during this time,” Alonso said.

Under Alonso, Leverkusen became the first team to complete an unbeaten Bundesliga season. However, repeating that level of performance has proven difficult this term. The club surrendered the league title to Bayern Munich last weekend, with two games remaining.

“I have tried to squeeze them as much as possible. They have given me so much, so maybe we are empty right now,” Alonso reflected on his squad.

The Leverkusen role marked Alonso’s first post in senior management, following a decorated playing career with Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich. Before that, he spent three years coaching the reserve side of Real Sociedad and began his managerial journey at Real Madrid’s youth academy.

“I have learned so many things and I have improved as a coach, as someone that needs to have more resources for myself, for the future,” Alonso said. “It has worked pretty well, I would say.”

He recalled his first discussions with Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro and sporting director Simon Rolfes in San Sebastián, Spain — the meeting that led to him taking the job. “We had some ideas, some expectations. So once you fulfill them, you can say that the job was done,” Alonso said.

Alonso did not reveal his next destination. “Now is not the day to talk about the future,” he said. However, he is widely tipped to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

Although Ancelotti’s contract with Madrid runs until the end of next season, there is speculation he could depart this summer, despite the club signing Kylian Mbappé. Madrid are currently four points behind Barcelona in La Liga, and Sunday’s El Clásico could be decisive in the title race.

Ancelotti has long been linked with the Brazil national team job, although negotiations have yet to reach a conclusion. The Italian has deflected questions about his plans, saying he will reveal them at the season’s end.

Alonso’s last two Bundesliga matches with Leverkusen are at home to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday and away to Mainz on the final day.

He is likely to receive a warm send-off from fans of a club once dubbed “Bayer Neverkusen” for its string of second-place finishes and final defeats. But Alonso believes that era is over. “In the club, they are very intelligent and very well-prepared people that will take the club in the right direction, the same way that they have done till now. I will always be there to help in the best possible way I can, because this doesn’t vanish,” he said. “I want to still have this bond with Bayer 04, because that stays forever.”

Sporting director Rolfes hailed Alonso’s time at the club as a “milestone in the development” of Leverkusen. “Together with Xabi we put together a team that has impressed the whole football world with its sporting quality and mentality,” he said in a club statement.

The club confirmed that a successor will be named “in due course.” Among the reported candidates are Cesc Fàbregas, currently managing Italian side Como, and Erik ten Hag, who was last in charge of Manchester United.

Alonso also denied a report by Bild claiming that Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz had told him he preferred a move to Bayern Munich over Real Madrid or Manchester City. All three clubs are said to be keen on the German midfielder, who has expressed an openness to a new challenge.

Defender Jonathan Tah is also expected to depart, with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign. When asked if he had promised Carro and Rolfes that he would not recruit any Leverkusen players at his next club, Alonso smiled.

“No promise,” he said.