Sky Sports Germany's resident renowned transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg reported on Saturday that former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reached an agreement in principle with Bayer Leverkusen to replace Xabi Alonso as the club's new head coach.

According to Plettenberg, Ten Hag has agreed to become Bayer Leverkusen's new head coach, and the only unresolved issue between the two sides is the contract of his assistants.

He also added that Ajax had approached Ten Hag a few days ago, but the latter rejected the offer to return to the Johan Cruyff Arena because he wanted to accept a new challenge.

Ten Hag is expected to sign a two-year contract with the Bundesliga club until the summer of 2027, and the two sides expect to complete the signing procedures before the start of the FIFA Club World Cup.

About Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag, 55, was born on February 2, 1970 in Haaksbergen, Overijssel, the Netherlands. He is 1.82 meters tall and primarily played as a center back. He can also play as a defensive midfielder. He played for Twente, De Graafschaap, RKC Waalwijk and Utrecht during his playing career.

After retiring in the summer of 2002, Ten Hag served as the head coach of Twente's youth academy teams at multiple levels until he was promoted to assistant coach of Twente in 2006.

In the summer of 2009, Ten Hag was appointed assistant coach of PSV Eindhoven.

In the summer of 2013, Ten Hag was appointed head coach of Bayern Munich II.

In the summer of 2015, Ten Hag served as head coach and sporting director of Utrecht, during which he led the club to the KNVB Cup final once.

In January 2018, Ten Hag was appointed head coach of Ajax.

During his five-year spell as de godenzonen's head coach, Ten Hag has led his club to win the Eredivisie three times, the Dutch Cup twice and the Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup) once.

In April 2022, Ten Hag was appointed as the new Manchester United head coach.

During his time at Old Trafford, Ten Hag was criticized for the team's frequent inconsistent performances, which led to his sacking at the end of October 2024.

As the Red Devils' head coach, Ten Hag has coached the Premier League giants in 128 matches in all competitions, achieving 72 wins, 20 draws and 36 losses, with a win percentage of 56.25%, and has led the club to win the Carabao Cup once and the English FA Cup once.