Real Madrid make Arbeloa sack ‘decision’ as Klopp ‘frontrunner’; five summer transfers revealed – report | OneFootball

According to reports, Real Madrid have already made a ‘decision’ about Alvaro Arbeloa’s future, while Jurgen Klopp is the ‘frontrunner’ to replace him.

Real Madrid are enduring another difficult season after they had a rare trophyless campaign under Carlo Ancelotti in 2024/25.

Former Bayern Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, who previously played for Real Madrid and Liverpool, was drafted in to replace Ancelotti ahead of the season, but his reign proved to be a disaster.

Alonso inherited a mess and found it hard to maintain control of the dressing room, with it widely reported that he had several clashes with key players en route to leaving at the start of January.

Former Liverpool defender Arbeloa stepped up from his role as Real Madrid Castilla manager to replace Alonso, though it has been speculated that he is only going to be a short-term solution as they remain linked with Klopp.

Arbeloa has done a poor job of trying to strengthen his position as Real Madrid exited the Copa del Rey against Albacete in his first game in charge, while they were condemned to the Champions League play-offs by losing 4-2 against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Tuesday night.

Arbeloa has won his two La Liga matches as Real Madrid trail leaders FC Barcelona by a single point, but a new report in Spain claims he has been ‘left out of Real Madrid’s plans’ regarding this summer transfer window.

This is because Arbeloa is a ‘temporary solution’ and has president Florentino Perez’s trust to lead the team until the summer, but ‘the decision to seek a more experienced manager has already been made, and the frontrunner for the position is Klopp, with Joachim Low as an alternative’.

The report also claims that Real Madrid are ‘focused’ on five deals heading into the summer, with their ‘top priority’ being to sign Liverpool-linked Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund, with it noted that he has a ‘very attractive’ valuation of 60 million euros (£52m).

It is later claimed that the Spanish giants also want to sign a new ‘playmaker’ to fill the void left by Luka Modric, with their ‘sights set’ on ‘perfect fits’ Enzo Fernandez and Vitinha. Manchester City’s Rodri, meanwhile, remains an option ahead of him becoming a free agent in 2027.

The report also states that there are ‘three candidates with a high probability of leaving’ before next season.

They explain: ‘Ferland Mendy will be the first player placed on the transfer list, while David Alaba, whose contract expires on June 30, will not be renewed. The Austrian’s departure will free up a significant amount of salary space, as he is the second-highest paid player in the squad.

‘And the last casualty that Madrid has prepared is that of Eduardo Camavinga, who has not been able to meet expectations.’