Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to pay for Xabi Alonso's release from his Bayer Leverkusen contract to appoint him as their new manager.
After leaving his role as Real Sociedad B head coach last summer, Alonso took on his second managerial job in October when he was appointed Leverkusen boss.
Alonso has overseen a remarkable upturn in fortunes, taking Leverkusen from the relegation zone to sixth position in the Bundesliga table.
The German club have also enjoyed success in Europe, reaching the Europa League semi-finals where they will face Jose Mourinho's Roma side.
Leverkusen's transformation under Alonso has seemingly impressed the Tottenham board, who are currently searching for a new manager after Antonio Conte was dismissed in March.
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Cristian Stellini was given the reins on a temporary basis, but he was replaced by Ryan Mason following a 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United last month.
There was a belief that former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann was considered the preferred candidate by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
However, according to The Mirror, Alonso has now emerged as Levy's first choice, and Spurs are prepared to pay the compensation required to appoint the 41-year-old as their new manager.
Tottenham will have to pay Leverkusen one year of Alonso's salary to release him from his contract with the Bundesliga side.
The report suggests that Spurs are still waiting to interview Alonso, and Leverkusen's participation in the latter stages of the Europa League has complicated any approach.
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Alonso recently stated that he was "100%" focused on his job with Leverkusen when he recently questioned about his future by reporters.
If the Spaniard does not take on the Tottenham job, Levy will reportedly turn his attention to Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, who is on the verge of winning the Eredivisie title.
Slot is under contract with Feyenoord until June 2025, and Spurs will have to pay the remainder of his deal if they decide to appoint him as their head coach.
Appointing Nagelsmann would also prove costly, with the 35-year-old currently on gardening leave after being sacked by Bayern Munich in March.
A recent report claimed that Spurs will have to splash out over £10m in compensation to Bayern if they want to secure Nagelsmann's services.
