Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has expressed an interest in bringing Florian Wirtz to Stamford Bridge, according to reports.

The pair worked together for two and a half years at Bayer Leverkusen, where they won the Bundesliga title and the German Cup.

Wirtz left for Liverpool in a deal worth up to £116m in June last year, weeks after Alonso was appointed Real Madrid head coach, but TEAMtalk claim that there is a chance they could be reunited.

They report that Alonso has “made it clear to Chelsea’s hierarchy” that he wants the club to make a move for Wirtz if Liverpool decide to sell the player in the future.

How likely is it that Wirtz will leave Anfield?

The 23-year-old has received plenty of criticism for his performances since his transfer to Merseyside, and that came to a head after failing to impress in back-to-back league matches against Bournemouth and Manchester City.

That prompted speculation that Wirtz could be sold, although his form has improved since then, with an impressive game against Brentford sandwiched between two strong displays in the Champions League versus LASK and Villarreal.

Do Chelsea need another No. 10?

Despite recruiting Morgan Rogers for a club-record £117m in the summer, the Blues continue to be linked with attacking midfielders.

Earlier this week, reports in the Italian media linked the club with a possible move for Como’s Nicolas Paz, and now it appears Wirtz is also on the shortlist.

Of course, Alonso’s apparent interest in the German is undoubtedly due to having worked with him before. He clearly rates him very highly, so it is not at all surprising that he would be keen to work with him again.

For now, it appears that the Blues are just keeping an eye on Wirtz’s situation and seeing how things play out.