Expert drops shock Dominik Szoboszlai to Real Madrid claim as Klopp arrival hopes soar after fresh development | OneFootball

A former Premier League CEO claims there is a strong chance Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai ends up at Real Madrid this summer, while the club’s hopes of securing Jurgen Klopp as their next manager look to have taken a significant step forward.

After a shock 1-0 home defeat to Getafe on Monday night, it’s all doom and gloom at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Alvaro Arbeloa looking increasingly likely to be ousted from his role.

However, plans remain in place for new signings to improve a Real Madrid first-team squad that has underperformed, firstly with Xabi Alonso at the helm and then, to a lesser extent, Arbeloa.

Real backed to sign Szoboszlai

One player who has been on Real Madrid’s radar for a while is Liverpool midfielder Szoboszlai, who the Reds are still fighting to keep.

Hungary manager Marco Rossi recently claimed that Szoboszlai’s dream is to play for the Spanish club, who signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool at the end of last season.

And now, former Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claims that Real could freshen their squad by snapping up the versatile Anfield star.

Wyness – who served as CEO on the blue half of Merseyside between 2004 and 2009 – now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs and he claims that the Spanish giants are “not happy behind the scenes” due to on-pitch performances and are ready to make changes in the summer.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness said: “I think Real Madrid are definitely going to be looking to freshen up themselves because they’re not happy behind the scenes there either right now.

“They’re not really performing at the levels they expected to be, certainly in Europe especially. And I think that yes, Szoboszlai could be one of those that could be moving to Real Madrid.

“So I think there is some smoke without fire there. And I think that, thanks to the Hungarian manager, he’s pointed it out. And I think that’s revealed the truth of where Szoboszlai would like to go if he gets a chance.”

He certainly has a point regarding what Rossi said about Szoboszlai’s desire to play for Real, and much will probably now depend on who is in charge at Anfield beyond this summer and whether they can convince the playmaker to stay.

Klopp hopes soar as Arbeloa feels the heat

Multiple European outlets are reporting that the prospect of Jurgen Klopp returning to frontline management with Real Madrid are gathering significant pace, amid hugely damaging claims Alvaro Arbeloa has ‘already lost the support’ of his players.

The LaLiga giants opted to place former Liverpool full-back Arbeloa in charge for the remainder of the season after sacking Xabi Alonso’s in early January. However, while it was hoped that Arbeloa would oversee an instant improvement and keep big-name personalities in line, the Spaniard’s future has now also been cast into serious doubt, with reports suggesting Real’s star players have already turned against him.

Monday night’s disastrous 1-0 home defeat to Getafe certainly didn’t help matters and appears to have pushed Arbeloa even closer to an exit. Indeed, the defeat now sees Real trailing bitter rivals Barcelona by four points in the title race.

Claiming the club has been thrown into ‘crisis’, a Marca report has also flung a series of strong accusations against the 43-year-old interim coach, who now has eight wins and four losses from his 12 matches in charge.

‘The team isn’t responding, the feeling is getting worse week after week, and the atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu keeps deteriorating,’ Marca explains.

‘The fans, always demanding but patient in key moments, have said enough is enough.

‘In recent months, chants of “Florentino resign!” have been heard, an unmistakable sign that a segment of Real Madrid supporters considers the project exhausted.

‘When the focus shifts from solely the coach and players to the presidency, the message is clear: distrust in the project is growing.’

As a result of that, Marca reports that Arbeloa now faces a four-game spell in which to preserve his position, with the upcoming games against Celta de Vigo in LaLiga on Friday, the two-legged Champions League tie against Manchester City, and the Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid at Estadio Bernabeu later this month, now viewed as critical.

As for Klopp making the move to Madrid, a fresh update on Tuesday from French newspaper L’Equipe claims the German looks ‘increasingly likely to be heading for the exit at Red Bull’.

They claim the 58-year-old is ‘no longer enjoying unanimous backing’, with ‘several of his recent decisions coming under scrutiny’ and with talk of a potential summer departure now growing.

That, in turn, opens the door for a return to big-time management, and there is nowhere bigger than at Real Madrid.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped a tantalising update on Real Madrid raiding Manchester City for a genuine superstar on the back of jaw-dropping reports out of Spain.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid are intensifying their focus on young English talent, with sources confirming that they have several Premier League starlets firmly on their radar, with a Tottenham talent chief among them.