Xabi Alonso makes first major Real Madrid decision and it's a direct message to Trent Alexander-Arnold

Xabi Alonso has already made his first Real Madrid decision prior to his expected appointment as the club's new manager, it has been reported.

It was announced on Friday afternoon that Alonso would leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season after over two and a half years in charge.

In that time, the Spaniard guided Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title - part of an unbeaten treble that also included the DFB-Pokal and the German Supercup - last season.

In the current campaign, Leverkusen will finish in second place in the German top flight and reached the last 16 stage of the Champions League.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Alonso is expected to replace Carlo Ancelotti as Los Blancos manager at the end of the campaign.

BREAKING: Xabi Alonso confirms he's set to leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season 🚨 pic.twitter.com/EC53738gYE

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 9, 2025

An announcement has not been made surrounding the Italian's future, but The Athletic report that he has reached a verbal decision to leave the club after their devastating Champions League quarter-final exit to Arsenal.

Ancelotti is then expected to take charge of the Brazil national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

As for Alonso, he will take charge of a star-studded squad which already contains the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois.

Alexander-Arnold is set to be added to the roster, having announced that he will leave Liverpool upon the expiry of his own contract next month.

According to ESPN, Real are willing to pay Liverpool a 'reasonable fee' to buy Alexander-Arnold out of the remaining weeks of his contract so that he can play in the Club World Cup, which gets underway on June 14 - before his deal expires.

He will compete with Dani Carvajal at right-back, though the Spaniard is currently recovering from an ACL injury suffered in October and turned 33 earlier this year.

Spanish outlet Marca claim that Alonso has made his first major decision as Real boss - and it could be great news for Alexander-Arnold.

It is reported that the impending new manager wants to play a 3-4-3 system, which he has used at Bayer Leverkusen.

The system would allow Alexander-Arnold to play as a 'highly offensive full-back that provides width', with the left wing-back needing to do likewise.

As a result, while Carvajal is stronger defensively than his soon-to-be team-mate, the tactical choice by Alonso appears to be a direct message to Alexander-Arnold that any deficiency in that area will be less important than in an alternative system.

Alonso is also said to want to play a 'double pivot' in front of the three centre-backs, meaning the 26-year-old could slot into a defensive midfield role that he played in on occasion at Anfield, and allow both himself and Carvajal to play in the same side at the Bernabeu.