Alonso has Klopp seal of approval to sign Bundesliga star for Liverpool

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Mar 2024 15:21 GMT
• 4 min read

Xabi Alonso is a great admirer of Bundesliga starlet Maximilian Beier, according to German media.

The Hoffenheim attacker has been German football's breakout star of the 2023/24 season, notching 12 goals and five assists in 24 Bundesliga outings so far. This has seen the youngster rewarded with a call-up to the German national team by Julian Nagelsmann.

Moreover, it has seen Beier become one of the Bundesliga's most sought-after commodities, with speculation about his future rife since the early parts of the season. Intriguingly, one of the clubs most prominently linked with the 21-year-old have been Liverpool.

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The interest was likely driven by Jurgen Klopp and more so by former sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, with his extensive contacts in German football. With Schmadtke gone and Klopp leaving soon as well, links to Liverpool have gone quiet in recent weeks, but there may yet be a scenario in which Beier ends up at Anfield after all.

Alonso wants Beier

According to BILD, Bayer Leverkusen have joined the race to sign Beier, who will be available in the summer for €32.5 million due to a release clause in his contract. Intriguingly, the report asserts that head coach Xabi Alonso greatly admires the versatile, speedy forward.

Alonso, of course, is Liverpool's top target to succeed Klopp at the end of the season. The Reds have brought back Michael Edwards as CEO of football and Richard Hughes will also join as new sporting director.

Hughes could prove to be a major ace up Liverpool's sleeve in their bid to land Alonso, though it is not yet clear whether they will be successful, with Bayern also keen on the Basque and even remaining at Leverkusen still a concrete option.

READ MORE: Not Alonso! Who the Liverpool players really want to replace Klopp

If he were to move to Anfield, however, it seems that Max Beier could be one of the first signings of the new era, though perhaps the youngster would be better served moving to a side like Aston Villa instead, as FootballTransfers previously explained.