Real Madrid's compensation fee to hire Xabi Alonso revealed | OneFootball

Real Madrid have agreed to pay a fee between €5m-€10m (£4.2m-£8.5m) to make Xabi Alonso their next manager, a report has claimed.

Alonso has long been lined up as Madrid's dream successor to Carlo Ancelotti and it emerged on Friday that a deal had been struck to take the Spaniard to the Santiago Bernabeu on a three-year contract.

Things then moved one step forward when Alonso confirmed his departure from his current role at Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, 12 months before his contract was due to expire.

It had previously been suggested that Madrid could be forced to pay as much as €20m (£16.9m) to buy Alonso out of his contract, but BILD believe the fee to be no more than half that figure.

The exact details of Leverkusen's demands are unclear but talks between the two clubs have focused on a fee between €5m-€10m.

As part of the discussions, Madrid have also left the door open to sending a player to Leverkusen. Just who that may be, or in what capacity they could leave the Spanish side, remains to be seen.

Alonso will join Madrid at the end of this summer's Club World Cup, meaning there could be a return to the dugout for Santiago Solari. Now a director at the club, Solari is expected to take charge of the team for the first time since March 2019 in a bid to win this summer's new tournament.

As for Leverkusen, former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is a top candidate to replace Alonso but there is also interest in hiring Como boss Cesc Fabregas.