Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would reportedly have five demands before being tempted by the Real Madrid vacancy, while he would also want two key players axed under his regime. That is the latest development in the perennial Champions League winners’ search for a new permanent manager, with Alvaro Arbeloa continuing to steady the ship in a caretaker role.
Xabi Alonso stepped down from his position at the Bernabeu on his own terms at the start of 2026 amid reports he had grown weary of a dressing room packed with big egos, exacerbated by limited support from those who hired him. Ever since that decision, the name on everyone’s lips in the Spanish capital has been Klopp, who is currently Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull.
Having drawn the curtain on his Liverpool tenure at the end of the 2023/24 season after nine years - during which he delivered on his promise of turning the Reds from doubters to believers and winning almost everything on offer, including a first Premier League title in 30 years and a sixth Champions League mantle - he cited the sheer exhaustion of management as the reason for ending a romance that still runs deep on Merseyside.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in attendance at Anfield Related
Jurgen Klopp Gives Interesting Take on Xabi Alonso's Firing Amid Real Madrid Links
The former Liverpool manager had been tipped as a potential replacement for Alonso.
Klopp's Five Demands if he Takes on Real Madrid Job
Jurgen Klopp
That’s not to say the German, now 58, couldn’t still have his head turned - especially by an opportunity as monumental as the Real Madrid job, following decades' worth of his painstaking budget management being spent on long-term projects. After all, he effectively came out of retirement to take over Liverpool after a spell at Borussia Dortmund, proving that history could very well repeat itself.
If he does make the move to Spain, Klopp’s five demands at the start of his tenure would reportedly include the club signing two centre-backs, two midfielders, and ensuring Brazilian starlet Endrick returns to the squad after his loan spell at Lyon for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Endrick in action for Real Madrid
While Klopp has not publicly named his targets, a report from Defensa Central claims that Kees Smit, Adam Wharton, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Jacobo Ramon are all among the potential arrivals to Los Blancos this summer. They are all players with a good level of consistency that could only improve under the German's celebrated player management.
Jude Bellingham Among Two Players Who Could Be Axed by Klopp
Real Madrid CF’s Jude Bellingham playing against Real Betis
Meanwhile, a report cited by Football365 claims England international Jude Bellingham "doesn’t fit Klopp’s vision" and his sale is a "key condition" for the German coach to accept Real Madrid’s advances. The report adds:
"From the German manager’s perspective, Bellingham’s bubble seems to have burst. Klopp doesn’t doubt his talent, but believes his actual impact doesn’t justify his central role in the team or the leniency with which his poor performances are being treated."
Jurgen Klopp
It continues to list Eduardo Camavinga as the other player that should be worried about the potential arrival of Klopp, the current favourite for the vacancy. "The second player who is not in the German manager’s plans is Eduardo Camavinga.
"The French midfielder has been performing at a very low level for several months, lacking consistency and clarity in his play. Klopp believes he does not possess the tactical and reliability qualities required by his system."