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Jürgen Klopp’s agent has dismissed talk of the former Liverpool manager filling the vacant post at Real Madrid should Enrique Riquelme become the club’s next president.
Marc Kosicke rejected Riquelme’s statement that the German, who left Anfield for a job as Red Bull’s head of global football, would become head coach after releasing a statement confirming him as first choice if elected on Sunday.
In a post on social media, Kosicke was quoted as saying: “It’s annoying! Jürgen Klopp is happy in his role at Red Bull and has no ambitions to work as a coach at a club.”
A statement from Riquelme’s office, reported on Sky Sports, read: “We know that Jürgen Klopp has publicly stated that he has no intention of returning to the dugout in the short term, and that he has turned down numerous offers. That is precisely why we believe the challenge of Real Madrid is different. Because there are great clubs, but there is only one Real Madrid. There is only one institution capable of uniting tradition and future, values and ambition, passion and excellence.
“For that reason, if the members grant me their trust this Sunday, on Monday 8 June, Raúl González Blanco [Enrique’s proposed sporting director] will contact Jürgen Klopp to convey to him personally our sporting project and our wish for him to be the one to lead, from the bench, our new era at Real Madrid.”
The election for the Spanish club’s next president has already proven controversial, with the rival candidate to the incumbent, Florentino Pérez, claiming he would move for the Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Rodri if elected.
On Wednesday, Riquelme said Haaland, who agreed a record nine-and-a-half-year deal in January 2025, wanted to join Madrid. That prompted a swift response from the Premier League club, threatening legal action against Riquelme after the 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur held up a Madrid shirt with Haaland’s name on the back during a television appearance. The Spanish businessman also promised that Rodri would leave City for the Bernabéu; the midfielder has said he would address his future after the World Cup.
Pérez has said José Mourinho will return to manage Real Madrid if he is re-elected. The 79-year-old, in the club’s first contested election for 20 years, delivered the campaign announcement through his social media channels with a short video featuring Mourinho saying simply: “Yes!” The sitting president has also promised Madrid would launch a €150m (£130m) bid for a player, understood to be Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, if he wins on Sunday.
