Alonso ‘requests’ five Liverpool sales after the Reds make the decision to sack Slot

Xabi Alonso has requested that five players be moved on in the summer if he replaces Arne Slot as Liverpool manager, according to reports.

The Reds came from two goals down to 2-2 against Bournemouth on Saturday but the Cherries struck five minutes into second-half injury time to take all three points.

Liverpool have now not won in five Premier League matches with arch-rivals Manchester United leapfrogging them into fourth over the weekend.

That has put serious pressure on Slot, who won the Premier League title last season, with a report on Monday claiming that Liverpool have already decided they will be sacking him at the end of the season.

Liverpool also reportedly have Steven Gerrard lined up to take over on a short-term deal if they have to pull the trigger sooner with Alonso their main candidate to take over in the summer.

The same report indicated that Alonso has asked for four new signings in the summer with Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Micky van de Ven and Adam Wharton all mentioned.

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And now Spanish website Fichajes insists that Alonso has made another ‘request’ with the former Bayer Leverkusen head coach wanting five players moved on.

Alonso has ‘requested the transfer of five players he considers expendable for his new vision’ with Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch the first two names on his list.

Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister are another two players Alonso is looking to offload at Liverpool with the moves aiming ‘to free up wage space and generate the necessary revenue to complete the signings of Barcola and Olise.’

It is claimed that the ‘most painful departure’ will be that of Mohamed Salah and Liverpool ‘now faces the dilemma of accepting these drastic conditions or seeking a less demanding alternative in the transfer market’.

Sky Sports reporter Alan Irwin insists that sources close to Alonso have indicated that the former Liverpool midfielder would be “more than happy with a return to the club.”

Irwin said: “It does seem strange that a Liverpool manager who won the league for them so convincingly is under pressure, but this club has very high standards indeed, and the Liverpool hierarchy may well be considering their options.

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“Xabi Alonso’s name is constantly mentioned in these parts and sources close to him indicate he would be more than happy with a return to the club.”

Journalist David Lynch, who has reported on Liverpool for years, has hinted that Slot will leave but revealed last week that the Reds aren’t keen on a mid-season replacement.

Lynch told Anfield Index: “They clearly, clearly want to get to the end of the season with Slot if they can. They don’t want to make a mid-season managerial change because who do you get as the interim? It would clearly be better to make the managerial change in the summer.

“I think his future’s already set, to be honest. It’s been so pronounced, the decline, for such a long time. It is only a case of getting to the summer, albeit if he starts to lose six, seven on the bounce again, he will get bulleted because they’ll feel forced to go for an interim. They don’t want to change; they really would prefer not to.

“Then it’s kind of go for a manager then in the summer. People are talking about ‘go and get Xabi Alonso’, but he’s not gonna want to walk into a job now, so it’d have to be an interim, and I don’t think there’s a great deal out there.”