Enter the equation, Mourinho could make things easier for Alonso and Mbappé

Liverpool will be keeping a close eye on the return of European football this week, having already secured its place in the last 16 of the Europa League. The Reds finished in top spot in their group, despite losing two of their six matches, and therefore bypassed the knockout round play-offs.

This European champion manager is learning Spanish to coach Barcelona

Liverpool remains the favorite to go on and win the whole thing but the likes of AC Milan, Benfica and Galatasaray will be real dangers after exiting the Champions League. And there could be an interesting reunion with Xabi Alonso later in the competition, with his Bayer Leverkusen side also in the mix.

Alonso is currently the favourite to replace Jürgen Klopp at Anfield and his Bayer Leverkusen side breezed through the group stages. Leverkusen also sits pretty at the top of the Bundesliga after beating Bayern Munich on Saturday. That result could have a bearing on the future of both managers with Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel feeling the heat and that could pave the way for a familiar face to make a return to the dugout.

The Kylian Mbappé transfer saga looks set to rumble on for some time yet with the PSG superstar now in the final months of his contract in France. Mbappé has been tipped to leave Paris for Real Madrid this summer after failing to agree a new deal. He is likely to command huge wages as well as a significant signing-on fee if he does move on a free transfer this summer, with Liverpool having previously been interested, according to Le Parisien and others. Yet AS reported over the weekend that PSG had offered Mbappé a new two-year deal worth $172m.

McTominay to the rescue! Man United scores late again to win 2-1 against Villa

José Mourinho preparing for next job

Leverkusen sits five points clear at the top of the table and is on course to be the first team to stop Bayern winning the title since 2012 under Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard has also been mentioned as a potential successor to Tuchel as his stock continues to rise in his first management role in senior football. Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg tweeted yesterday that Bayern bosses are eyeing up Alonso as a managerial option for the future, but Mourinho convincing them to give him the job this summer could hand Liverpool a boost.