BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Carlo Ancelotti says that Xabi Alonso has “all the doors open” for a move to a big club with speculation building that the former Real Madrid midfielder is set to replace the Italian coach at the helm of the Spanish powerhouse.

Ancelotti gave his routine pre-game news conference Saturday, a day after Alonso announced he was leaving Bayer Leverkusen. He praised the work of Alonso, who has been widely linked to an eventual move back to Madrid after leading the German club to the Bundesliga title last season.

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“I read that Xavi is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, where he did a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said. “He has all the doors open because he has shown that he is one of the best coaches in the world.”

Ancelotti again refused to speak about his future, especially ahead of Sunday’s decisive clasico at Barcelona in La Liga. Madrid trails Barcelona by four points and needs to win to keep alive its chances of winning a trophy this campaign.

But he did speak movingly about what Madrid means — and will mean — for the most successful manager in European soccer.

For Ancelotti, his relationship with the club he has spent six seasons at in two stints is an everlasting “honeymoon.”

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“The honeymoon with this club never ends, it continues forever,” he said. “I think that Real Madrid, like Milan before, are the teams that stay with me given the time I have spent here. At the beginning there is passion, and when that fades other feelings emerge, a sense of tender care. My honeymoon with Real Madrid will last for as long as I live.”

The 65-year-old coach is under contract through the next campaign but is widely expected to leave after an underwhelming season in which the team played worse despite adding Kylian Mbappé to its squad.

Brazil has been courting Ancelotti for over a year and it appears talks are still ongoing with the veteran manager.

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