Jurgen Klopp 'only option' for Real Madrid as Liverpool legend tipped to make return

Jurgen Klopp will return to Liverpool this weekend to take charge of the Legends team, but he is being linked with a comeback into proper management this summer

Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp attends New York Red Bulls vs CF Montreal in March 2026.(Image: Caean Couto/Getty Images)

Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp has been tipped as the "only option" for Real Madrid this summer, when Los Blancos could replace Alvaro Arbeloa with a more permanent appointment.

Since Xabi Alonso was fired at the start of the year, Arbeloa has taken charge at the Bernabeu. However, links with Klopp — even though his agent has actively moved to talk them down — have never gone away.

"At Real Madrid, you don't need a manager with a vision," the former Arsenal, Chelsea and France midfielder Emmanuel Petit told Bet Goat. "At Real Madrid, you need someone who can manage the egos in the dressing room.

"You don't ask your players, 'I want you to play like this.' We are at Real Madrid. Those guys, most of them are among the best in their position in the world.

"Who am I to tell them I want you to play like this? I mean, those guys know what to do on the pitch. You only need to manage the dressing room.

"When you go against the players in the dressing room, then the trouble starts. It was the case for Xabi Alonso. He had a fight with so many players, especially Vinicius.

"Vinicius was not even starting in the first XI. He was making comments against his manager in the press. So when you start having trouble like that, it's the beginning of the end for the manager because the players always win the battle.

HARRISON, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 08: Jurgen Klopp, former Liverpool manager and Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull GmbH, stands on the pitch after the match between the New York Red Bulls and the CF Montréal at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)

"So as I said, for me you need someone with great personality who can be strong but as well can show humanity to his players. Just like Zinedine Zidane did, he was such a great player so he's got the charisma for it as well.

"Jurgen Klopp has been mentioned. Jose Mourinho? No. I mean, it would be interesting for me to see Klopp. I have huge respect for Mourinho.

"But with what happened in both games against Benfica, the comments he made with Vinicius, things like this, I don't think he's coming at the end of the season. For me, my only option would be Klopp."

With Arne Slot under pressure to improve results and performances at Liverpool, even after he won the Premier League title a year after Klopp's departure, Petit also believes that Alonso would be a good fit at Anfield.

"Alonso is a legend at the club and I think in terms of personality, his vision for football, the way he has managed Leverkusen, that would be something interesting," Petit added.

"I think this is part of the new generation of managers who have been great players, but they are doing very well in terms of management.

"So sooner or later, I think his name will be back on the table at Liverpool. Yeah, definitely, because he played many years there. He won trophies there.

"So he has left a legacy there as a player. I think I can understand why the fans want him to come back to the club and be the manager."

Liverpool.com says: Klopp being at Real Madrid does make some sense, in that it would take a massive project to convince him to move away from his role with Red Bull. He and his representatives have talked down an exit several times, though, and the German national team position, once Julian Nagelsmann moves on, seems more likely.