Pochettino demands Liverpool, Tottenham stars to agree Real Madrid deal; Fabregas a ‘dark horse’ | OneFootball

Mauricio Pochettino is demanding four summer signings from Real Madrid if they want him to take over as head coach in the summer, according to reports.

Los Blancos are looking to replace Alvaro Arbeloa in the summer after the Spaniard has failed to impress in his short time as Real Madrid head coach.

Arbeloa took over from Xabi Alonso in January after the former Bayer Leverkusen head coach was sacked by Real Madrid following their defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.

Real Madrid immediately appointed Arbeloa but did not specify how long the Spaniard would be in charge and now there are rumours that he will leave at the end of the season.

One report on Monday even claimed that he could be sacked before the international break after losing two of his last three matches in La Liga.

Former Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has perhaps been the most heavily linked with the job, while Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Zinedine Zidane and Benfica’s Jose Mourinho have also been mentioned.

Pochettino is one long-term option, with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez known to be a big admirer of the former Tottenham head coach, who is also being linked with a return to Spurs.

Real Madrid and Tottenham would both have to wait until after the World Cup in the summer to appoint Pochettino as he leads the USMNT into the competition.

And now reports in Spain claim that Pochettino is demanding two midfielders and two centre-backs in order to ‘agree’ to sign as new Real Madrid head coach.

The report adds: ‘The club’s biggest wish would be to sign Cuti Romero from Tottenham , their favourite centre-back for Real Madrid, but his price tag is currently exorbitant at €80 million.

‘Pochettino also wouldn’t be opposed to bringing [Marco] Verratti back to European football, as he’s playing exceptionally well; he’s the player who has impressed him the most [at PSG], and Pochettino believes that, for a relatively small fee, and despite being 33 years old, he would significantly improve the team, along with a second midfielder, who could be [Alexis] Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, [Adam] Wharton, or Vitinha.’

Spanish journalist Jorge Picon insists that Como head coach Cesc Fabregas is a ‘dark horse’ to take over as new Real Madrid boss in the summer.

Picon told El Desmarque: “But there’s another coach who hasn’t been talked about as much, and he’s the one I wanted to mention. Well, I haven’t read anything about him myself, but he’s a coach who’s very much to the liking of some of Real Madrid’s top executives.

“His name is Cesc Fàbregas , a young coach, but with leadership qualities. He was already very popular as a player, and they wanted him when he was at Arsenal. But despite having been at Barcelona, ​​he’s a coach they believe has charisma and knowledge, and they see him as having the potential to coach Real Madrid in the future.

“Real Madrid has never lost sight of the coaching market. Arbeloa was brought in with the idea of ​​a transition period, and he’s a club man and will always have a place at Real Madrid, but it’s true that there are already important people at the club who are putting forward the names of coaches. Zidane, obviously, is Florentino’s dream whenever these things happen.

“He’s the number one option, but another option that’s very appealing is Klopp, and there have been contacts to find out about his situation.”