Alonso ‘wants’ Real Madrid star as first signing at Liverpool if he replaces Slot
Xabi Alonso has his eye on signing Real Madrid attacking midfielder Arda Guler if he replaces Arne Slot as Liverpool head coach, according to reports.
The Reds won the Premier League in Slot’s first season at the club in 2024/25 but this season his side have been far from the levels set last term.
Liverpool are currently sixth in the Premier League, three points off fourth-placed Manchester United and 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
There have been rumours that Slot could be sacked by Liverpool at the end of the season with the Reds board preferring not to make a change mid-season.
One manager who has been heavily linked with replacing the Dutchman is former Liverpool midfielder Alonso, who was sacked by Real Madrid earlier this season.
And now Spanish website Fichajes insists that Alonso ‘wants’ Real Madrid starlet Guler as his first signing if he is successful in replacing Slot in the summer.
The report describes the Spaniard as ‘the favourite to take over’ if Slot is sacked as the Liverpool hierarchy are ‘seriously considering bringing him in’ to replace the Dutchman.
And Alonso has ‘conveyed to the board his desire to sign’ Turkey international Guler, who has been in and out of the Real Madrid side this season.
The report adds:Â ‘Alonso has faith in his talent and believes he can make him a key player in his football philosophy at Liverpool.
‘The main obstacle is financial. Real Madrid is not considering a low-cost departure and has reportedly set a minimum price of around 90 million euros.’
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Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara thinks Slot will definitely lose his job at the end of the season if he fails to qualify for the Champions League.
O’Hara told 10bet: “He needs to win. That’s all you can do. You just need to win games. He needs to get in the top four, top five if it’s Champions League. But he needs to absolutely get Champions League football.
“He can’t not have Champions League football. That’s unacceptable for the money they spent. Still got trophies on offer that they could potentially win. I wouldn’t write them off for the Champions League to get into the late stages.
“I really wouldn’t because they’ve been there and done it. European football’s different. I think it’s a lot more open and I think it helps Liverpool. So I think if he gets in the top four and the performances are better then he might keep his job. But I think there’s just a lot of good managers breathing down his neck right now.”
