According to reports, Real Madrid are now ‘closer’ to appointing Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp as their next permanent head coach after Alvaro Arbeloa.

Klopphas been out of management since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, but he has been heavily linked with a potential move to Real Madrid in recent months.

At the start of this month, Real Madridparted company with Xabi Alonso following a terrible first half of this campaign, with the ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss struggling to maintain control of the dressing room.

Real Madrid have since brought in former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa to replace Alonso, with the inexperienced boss stepping up from his role as Real Madrid Castilla boss.

However, it has been suggested that Arbeloa could only prove a short-term solution until the summer and Real Madrid’s recent results have added to that view.

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On Tuesday night, Real Madrid were made to settle for a place in the Champions League play-offs by losing 4-2 to Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.

Following this result, it has been reported that Real Madrid have ‘decided’ to move for a replacement ahead of next season and Klopp is their ‘frontrunner’.

Klopp would likely be a poor fit for Real Madrid because it’s hard to see him mixing well with their hierarchy, but the Spanish media seem to be really keen for his appointment.

A new report in Spain claims Klopp to Real Madrid is now ‘closer’ and three factors could ‘facilitate the deal’.

It is claimed that ‘Real Madrid hopes to convince Klopp with a substantial financial offer, and also by giving him the freedom to plan the squad as he sees fit’.

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Thirdly, it is claimed that Real Madrid are trying to get club legend Toni Kroos to lure Klopp to the Bernabeu, with the Germany international said to be in the frame to be the Liverpool icon’s ‘assistant’.

The report claims:

‘Interestingly, the 36-year-old former footballer, who is still missed, could be included in the deal and become part of Klopp’s coaching staff. Florentino Pérez has put this option on the table for him.

‘Real Madrid’s idea is for Kroos to act as Klopp’s assistant, helping him adapt to the dressing room and also with the language. A very similar role to the one Thiago Alcantara had during Hans-Dieter Flick’s first months as Barcelona manager.’

In a recent interview, Klopp appeared to acknowledge that there are internal problems at Real Madrid as Alonso is an “outstanding coaching talent”.

“In general, it’s a sign that not everything there is 100 per cent right when Xabi Alonso, who showed over two years in Leverkusen what an outstanding coaching talent he is, has to leave Real Madrid just half a year later,” Klopp said.

“When you come in after a legend and an incredibly successful coach like Carlo Ancelotti, who had a very specific way of managing his teams, and then try to introduce new rules, that has now proven to be too difficult.

“I really feel sorry for him, because I consider him a great coach. It has nothing to do with me and didn’t trigger anything in me either.

“The coaching market is being reshuffled, and it’s not a bad thing to experience all of this from an observer’s perspective and not think about what it might mean for yourself – because you’re in the right place where you are.”

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