Xabi Alonso could be in line to succeed Pep Guardiola - and it's an appointment that would get the approval of the current Manchester City manager.

The former Liverpool midfielder is reportedly in the running to take over from Guardiola at the Etihad next summer. According to The Athletic, Alonso and Ruben Amorim have been mentioned in conversations as City line up replacements in case of their current boss' departure.

Guardiola's contract runs until the end of the season, and he has been coy on whether he will extend his stay with the Premier League champions. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was approached for the England job before Thomas Tuchel's appointment was confirmed last week.

City's links with Alonso come just months after the Bayer Leverkusen boss was touted to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. The 42-year-old instead decided to stay put in Germany, going on to win an unbeaten domestic double as well as leading his side to the Europa League final.

And his achievements caught the eye of Guardiola - the pair already know each other from their time at Bayern, when the City boss first saw Alonso's management credentials.

"If you ask me [about] the job he is doing, honestly? Wow. He's unbeaten, the only team in modern football that's unbeaten in all competitions and fighting in that way with Bayern Munich," Guardiola said when asked about Alonso amid those Liverpool rumors in February.

"But wow, not just the way they play, they didn't lose one game in Europa League, in [DFB] Pokal in Germany, and Bundesliga, and the way they're playing.

"I was incredibly fortunate to have him for one year and a half, two seasons, and he's such an intelligent player, so intelligent. In that moment, yeah [I could see him becoming a manager]."

Xabi Alonso played under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich Guardiola added: "There are holding midfielders, when they ask you questions and how curious they are about the game you realise that this guy, if he will retire and will be at home, he will be annoyed and nothing to do, and says, 'OK, I'm going to go back to my business in world football'.

"Normally holding midfielders like him, [Javier] Mascherano, [Sergio] Busquets - the holding midfielders I had, Rodri, [Ilkay] Gundogan - they will be involved in football for sure because they have a vision for a global perspective.

"[Alonso] was such an incredible, top-class player otherwise you cannot play for Liverpool, [Real] Madrid, and after Bayern Munich, and a part of Real Sociedad, you cannot play in these teams if you are not a top-class player, an intelligent one, skills and so on.

"He took a [lot of] good decisions and I'm so happy for him, he deserves it, he's a lovely, lovely guy."

Not only is City eyeing up Alonso as a potential successor to Guardiola, but it seems Leverkusen is also preparing for his departure. According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, the Bundesliga champions are considering Sebastian Hoeness and Sandro Wagner as his heir next summer.