Last week, as speculation escalated that Carlo Ancelotti would not be in charge of Real Madrid next season, that former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was an option to take over. Despite being heavily linked with Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, rumours multiplied that Klopp could be interested in the role.
Klopp stepped back from management last year after leaving Liverpool, taking over as Global Director of Red Bull Football Operations, a role he is in today. There was also a suggestion that he was unhappy in his role and missed coaching. However on Friday, Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke came out to shut down links to either Real Madrid or Brazil.
The stories were not in a total vacuum though. There is a key voice in the ear of Real Madrid President Florentino Perez who is a major fan of Klopp, say RadioMarca. There information is that advisor and investment specialist Anas Laghrari has in recent weeks suggested to Perez that he considers Klopp for the role, which would tally with previous results.
Klopp was close to taking over the Real Madrid job in 2015, but Perez opted for Rafael Benitez in the end, preferring a manager who was fluent in Spanish. However it remains true that the club and Perez are convinced that Alonso should succeed Ancelotti if indeed he does depart.
Laghrari is a central figure at Key Capital Investments, and while he does not have an official role at Real Madrid, has been involved in numerous deals with Los Blancos and Perez. He is one of the principal minds behind the Superleague project, and also played a role in Los Blancos selling some of the rights to retail space at the Santiago Bernabeu to Sixth Street. Last year Perez also announced a potential shift in Real Madrid’s ownership model that Laghrari is also believed to be involved with.
