Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is reportedly in the running for the top job at Real Madrid, should the Spanish giants decide to shake up their managerial team this summer.
Real Madrid announced on Monday that Xabi Alonso has mutually agreed to step down from his role after less than eight months at the helm. Alvaro Arbeloa, who had been managing Real Madrid B for the first half of the 2025/26 season, was swiftly named as his successor.
Despite Arbeloa’s appointment, rumours are rife that Klopp could be a potential candidate to take over the reins at Real Madrid. The German tactician has been consistently linked with the position throughout his career, but since leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2024, he has maintained that he has no plans to return to management.
However, Sky Sport Germany now suggests that Klopp is being considered for the head coach role at the Santiago Bernabeu. It’s reported that despite Klopp’s long-term commitment to Red Bull and his deep involvement with the project, the allure of Real Madrid is significant.
Should Real Madrid make a serious approach, it’s believed that Klopp, 58, would seriously contemplate the offer.
In the wake of Alonso’s departure from Real Madrid, Klopp, appearing on ServusTV On, was asked if his phone had been buzzing with calls. Klopp quickly jumped to Alonso’s defence, sharing his thoughts on the latter’s dismissal.
“It actually has [been ringing] – though not from Madrid,” Klopp confessed. “But yes, there were definitely a few people who felt they had to contact me directly about it.
“First of all, I think it’s another sign that something isn’t quite right there at the moment.
“If Xabi Alonso, who over the last two years in Leverkusen has shown what an outstanding coaching talent he is – and I think at his age and with the number of jobs he’s had, you can say that – is then forced to leave Madrid just six months later, it shows a few things.
“On the one hand, it shows that nowadays there’s no time anymore.
“On the other, the expectations at Real Madrid are obviously enormous. To make a decision like that in the heat of the moment, after losing a cup final to Barcelona yesterday, says a lot.
“I think we’d already been hearing rumours for a while. And now – I don’t know if that’s where your question was going – but this has absolutely nothing to do with me, and it didn’t trigger anything for me either, which would probably have been the follow-up question.
“I was surprised, that’s true – genuinely surprised. Then a few people messaged me, and I replied with various emojis.”