According to reports, Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp would be ‘willing’ to replace Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa in the summer and he is a ‘candidate’.
Klopp stepped away from management at the end of the 2023/24 campaign as he felt he needed a break from football following a tireless nine-year stint in charge at Liverpool.
The respected German boss returned to football at the start of 2025 as he became Red Bull’s Global Head of Football, while he has also been heavily linked with a potential comeback to management.
If Klopp could be lured back into management, Real Madrid are perhaps one of the clubs capable of securing his services and he had been mooted as a replacement for Xabi Alonso.
Alonso’s brief spell in charge at Real Madrid came to an end on Monday evening, with his exit following a string of poor results/performances as they trail Barcelona in La Liga, while he has also reportedly had numerous clashes with players.
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Ex-Liverpool defender Arbeloa has stepped up from his role as Real Madrid Castilla manager to replace Alonso, though it remains to be seen whether this is a long-term solution.
And Klopp has responded to speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid and revealed whether he had been called about the manager’s job. He said: “It actually has — though not from Madrid. But yes, there were definitely a few people who felt they had to contact me directly about it.”
He added: “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.”
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Despite this, German journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Real Madrid are of ‘major interest’ to Klopp.
He said on X: ‘EXCLUSIVE DETAILS | Jürgen #Klopp is a candidate for the head coach position at Real Madrid, should the club decide to appoint a new manager in the summer. As revealed on 11 December and confirmed again.
‘Understand despite Klopp’s long-term contract with Red Bull and his strong identification with the Red Bull project, Real Madrid hold a major appeal for him. If Real were to make a serious move, Klopp would give it serious consideration.’
A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes goes further, with it claimed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has ‘approved’ this move, while Klopp would ‘be delighted’ to replace Arbeloa for two reasons.
They claim: ‘After two years away from the sidelines, the German feels energised to return to the elite level and is very keen on the possibility of managing one of the biggest clubs in the world.’
