As Real Madrid scour the market for potential successors to Xabi Alonso, Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff revealed former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has “made it clear” he does not want to return to the touchline.
Question marks surround Alonso’s future at the biggest club in the world. Head-scratching tactical decisions, a reported dressing room mutiny and poor results have put his job at risk just five months into the 2025–26 season.
Real Madrid have dropped points in six of their last eight matches across all competitions, prompting widespread speculation of a big-name candidate taking over in the coming weeks.
Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg names Klopp as one of Los Blancos’ targets in the event Alonso loses his job. The German bid farewell to Liverpool at the end of the 2023–24 season and currently resides as Red Bull’s Global Head of Global Soccer.
Klopp has also been linked with a return to Merseyside amid the Reds’ recent slump, but Arne Slot appears to have the club’s full support, most recently in the growing feud between the Dutchman and Mohamed Salah.
Mintzlaff: Klopp’s Passion Lies With Red Bull
Despite the mounting speculation, Mintzlaff is not worried about Klopp potentially leaving his current role for a return to the touchline, either in Madrid or Liverpool.
“Jurgen has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be a coach at the moment,” the Red Bull chief said at an event hosted by the Leipziger Volkszeitung.
“Whether that changes at some point in his life, of course, is possible. But I can see how passionate he is about this job, how many ideas he has and how much he wants to develop further. Therefore, I’m completely relaxed.”
Indeed, Klopp admitted he was “running out of energy” when he announced his decision to leave Liverpool in 2024. The 58-year-old vowed to take a break from managing for at least a year and went on to join Red Bull in Jan. 2025.
It remains to be seen whether a potential gig at Real Madrid would be enough to entice Klopp back. First, though, the Spanish giants must make a decision about Alonso, one that will become clear in the coming weeks.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Red Bull Chief Gives Telling Verdict on Jurgen Klopp, Real Madrid Links.