Xabi Alonso confirms he's leaving Bayer Leverkusen ahead of expected move to Real Madrid

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is leaving the German club after this season, ahead of an expected move to Real Madrid.

“This is the right moment to announce it,” the Spanish coach said Friday, ahead of what will be his final home game on Sunday. “Clarity is good for everyone.”

The 43-year-old Alonso ended weeks of speculation by informing his players before Friday’s training session that he was leaving, one year before his contract with the club expires in 2026.

Alonso, a former Madrid player, led Leverkusen to an unprecedented league and cup double last season after taking over the team when it was in the Bundesliga’s relegation zone in October 2022.

“I think that we can be happy, we can proud of what we have achieved during this time,” Alonso said.

His Leverkusen team remains the only one to complete a Bundesliga season unbeaten.

However, it was a tall order to replicate that form this season. Leverkusen conceded the league title to Bayern Munich last weekend with two games left to play.

“I have tried to squeeze them as much as possible. They have given me so much, so maybe we are empty right now,” Alonso said of his players.

The Leverkusen job was Alonso's first in senior management after a stellar playing career with Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern. He spent three years as a reserve-team coach at Real Sociedad, another former club. He started his coaching career at Madrid’s youth setup.

“I have learned so many things and I have improved as a coach, as someone that needs to have more resources for myself, for the future,” Alonso said of his time in Leverkusen. “It has worked pretty well, I would say.”

He remembered his first meeting with Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro and sporting director Simon Rolfes in San Sebastian, Spain, when they convinced him to take over their under-performing team.

“We had some ideas, some expectations. So once you fulfill them, you can say that the job was done,” Alonso said.

He declined to say where he will be going next.

“Now is not the day to talk about the future,” said Alonso, who is reportedly the lead candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid.

Ancelotti is under contract until the end of next season, but he is widely expected to leave after a campaign in which Madrid struggled despite adding Kylian Mbappé to its squad.

Ancelotti faces a huge match on Sunday when Madrid visits Barcelona, trailing its rival by four points and needing a victory to maintain hope of defending its La Liga title.

Brazil has been courting Ancelotti for over a year but talks about the national team job have dragged on. Ancelotti has deflected questions on his future by saying he will announce his plans when the season ends.

Alonso's final two Bundesliga games with Leverkusen are against Borussia Dortmund at home on Sunday, before a visit to Mainz on the final day of the season.

He is sure to be shown affection from fans of a club previously known as “Bayer Neverkusen" for five runner-up finishes in the Bundesliga and a series of painful defeats in finals. Alonso is confident those days are gone.

“In the club, they are very intelligent and very well-prepared people that will take the club in the right direction, the same way that they have done till now. I will always be there to help in the best possible way I can, because this doesn’t vanish,” Alonso said. “I want to still have this bond with Bayer 04, because that stays forever.”

Rolfes in a Leverkusen statement described Alonso's time as a “milestone in the development” of the club.

"Together with Xabi we put together a team that has impressed the whole football world with its sporting quality and mentality,” Rolfes said.

The club said it will announce a successor “in due course.” Cesc Fabregas, coach of Italian team Como, and Erik ten Hag, who was last in charge of Manchester United, are reported candidates.

Alonso denied a report from the Bild tabloid that Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz had informed him he wished to join Bayern and not Madrid or Manchester City. All three clubs are reportedly interested and Wirtz has said he'd welcome a new challenge.

Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah is also leaving the club with his contract up at the end of the season.

Asked if he had promised Carro and Rolfes not to take any Leverkusen players with him to his next club, Alonso laughed.

“No promise,” he said.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso celebrates with the trophy as his team won the German Bundesliga, after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and FC Augsburg at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Leverkusen's coach Xabi Alonso attends a press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Leverkusen's coach Xabi Alonso attends a press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Leverkusen's coach Xabi Alonso attends a press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Leverkusen's coach Xabi Alonso attends a press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

FILE - Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso gives instructions from the side line during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, on April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)