Claim comes after Florentino Perez’s rival also claimed he would sign Erling Haaland and Rodri if elected
Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has announced he would invite Jurgen Klopp to become the club’s new head coach if he defeats Florentino Perez in the presidential election on Sunday.
The presidential candidate said in a statement on Friday that Madrid legend and former captain Raul, whom he intends to install as sporting director, would contact Klopp on Monday to present his proposed sporting project should he win the election against Perez.
“For the bench, from the moment he joined us, Raul has put forward a single name,” Riquelme said. “We are speaking of one of the finest coaches of our time. But, above all, we are speaking of a leader capable of restoring Real Madrid. That coach is Jurgen Klopp.”
Riquelme acknowledged that Klopp has publicly ruled out a short-term return to coaching and has rejected other approaches since leaving Liverpool in 2024. However, his argument was that Madrid’s status could persuade the 58-year-old to reconsider.
Klopp has been Red Bull’s global head of soccer since January 2025 and has been linked with several coaching vacancies since departing Anfield. He said in March that he was “not quite finished as a coach yet”, although he has also said that he did not miss coaching and that he was “completely at peace” in his current role.
His agent, Marc Kosicke, moved quickly to dismiss the prospect of a move to the Bernabeu. “Jurgen Klopp is happy in his role at Red Bull and has no ambitions to work as a coach at a club,” Kosicke told Sky Sports Germany.
The pledge is the latest headline-grabbing promise from Riquelme during the campaign. The 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur has already announced plans to bring Raul and Fernando Hierro into senior roles and claimed he would sign Erling Haaland and Rodri from Manchester City if elected.
Those claims have attracted scrutiny, with City considering legal action after Riquelme used Haaland’s name on a jersey as part of his campaign. He has also previously suggested that a deal for a new coach had effectively been secured before his candidacy was formally launched.
Perez, who has led Madrid for 23 of the past 26 years and is widely expected to retain the presidency, has also made ambitious campaign commitments. The 79-year-old said this week that he would make a bid of at least €150m for Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise if re-elected.
Madrid’s members, known as socios, will choose between Perez and Riquelme on Sunday in the club’s first contested presidential election for two decades.
