Xabi Alonso has been linked with a move to Chelsea – if Jose Mourinho takes over from Rafa Benitez at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Mourinho strongly hinted after Madrid’s elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday that he would be leaving the Spanish capital after three years in charge of Los Merengues.
And speculation has grown that he will return to his former employers after he said his next move would be to someone ‘where he is loved’.
According to the Independent, Mourinho will make the signing of Alonso his first priority.
The 31-year-old Spanish international, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, is believed to be one of Mourinho’s closest allies at the Bernabeu.
He has been offered a two-year extension to his contract, but is thought to be waiting to see developments in the summer before making a decision on his future.
