Xabi Alonso has broken his silence on reports linking him with the Liverpool job.
Jurgen Klopp announced on Friday that he is stepping down from his role as Liverpool manager at the end of the season.
The German, who joined Liverpool in 2015, won the club a Champions League in 2019 before claiming the Reds' first league title in 30 years the following year.
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Klopp’s departure has come as a major shock, given his contract was set to expire in 2026,
The favourite to replace the German is former Reds midfielder Alonso.
However, on reports linking him to the Liverpool job, the Spaniard said in a press conference he is not yet thinking about the "next step".
He said: "To be honest I am not in this moment thinking about the next step. I am thinking about where I am right now and I think I am in a great place which I enjoy.
"It's the right place so that's all I can say. I don't know about the pace [of my career]. My pace is what's going to be the pace of the team on Saturday to be honest because that's what really matters.
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"I'm going to be happy if we play well and deserve to win. What's going to happen in the future... I don't know and I don't really care at the moment."
Upon direct questioning on the vacant Liverpool job Alonso added: "Speculation is normal, my focus is here on Bayer Leverkusen”, while admitting it's "a big surprise at Liverpool, of course."
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Alonso began his coaching career with the Real Madrid youth team before being appointed Real Sociedad B boss in 2019.
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The 42-year-old guided the club to promotion in his second season in charge, but left the following campaign with relegation guaranteed with a game to spare. Alonso is currently in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in the Bundesliga this term and top the table by four points.
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Topics: Football, Xabi Alonso, Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, Jurgen Klopp
Chris Byfield