Real Madrid president Florentino Perez may want to return Los Blancos to their former glory come this summer, but what could his dream XI possibly look like?
Perez, 78, will likely be unhappy with how Real Madrid’s 2025/26 campaign is going, given the fact that on Monday (January 12), Xabi Alonso reached a “mutual agreement” to leave the club, having joined from Bayer Leverkusen 232 days earlier in May of 2025.
Alvaro Arbeloa has since stepped up from reserve team head coach to take charge of the senior side and oversaw Real’s 3-2 Copa del Rey round of 16 defeat against second-tier Albacete on Wednesday (January 14).
Arbeloa’s first La Liga game in charge will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday (January 17) when Los Blancos host Levante as they look to claw back the current four-point deficit between themselves and arch rivals Barcelona.
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Being four points behind the league leaders, for most clubs, would not be seen as a crisis.
But Real Madrid are not like most clubs, and the fact that they have not secured a major trophy since winning the league and Champions League in 2023/24 is unacceptable to the hierarchy.
For now, Arbeloa is tasked with turning it around, but the 15-time European champions have been linked with former Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp since Alonso’s exit.
Klopp has been without a managerial role since leaving the Reds at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, although he has acted as Head of Global Soccer for the Red Bull group.
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Earlier this week, Sky Sports reported that Klopp is among the candidates for the head coach role at Real, should the club decide to appoint a new boss in the summer of 2026.
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The outlet also suggests that the job “holds a major appeal” for the ex-Borussia Dortmund manager.
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And if Klopp were to take charge, he would likely be backed in the transfer window.
But who could Real sign?
SPORTbible has put together a list of possible summer arrivals in the Spanish capital that may feature in Perez’s ‘dream XI’.
It’s fair to say Thibaut Courtois is arguably the best goalkeeper on the planet, and he will likely retain his place come next season.
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The currently injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and veteran Dani Carvajal are the two first-choice right-backs at the club, meaning it is unlikely that another guaranteed starter arrives.
However, there may be room for an arrival at centre-back to partner Dean Huijsen as Antonio Rudiger is out of contract in 2026, while Eder Militao has struggled with injuries in recent years.
Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi has been linked with many clubs, including Real Madrid, and is currently able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with non-English teams.
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The 25-year-old boasts 26 caps for the Three Lions and captained Palace to the 2024/25 FA Cup. Guehi would likely be a cheap but quality addition to the side.
According to Sky Sports, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich are also keen on the defender.
However, City appear to be favourites to sign the centre-back meaning an unlikely Real Madrid hijack would need to happen.
Left-back Alvaro Carreras arrived at Real from Benfica in the summer and will likely retain his starting place come next season.
Moving into the midfield, Real boast an array of options including Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, and Dani Ceballos.
It is unclear exactly how Klopp would decide who starts, but at Liverpool, he mainly employed a 4-3-3 formation.
Bellingham and Valverde possess both attacking and defensive prowess, but there is room for a world-class ‘number six’ to come in.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, Real’s priority in the position is Paris Saint-Germain and Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz.
Ruiz, who is contracted to PSG until June 2027, was part of the Spain side that won Euro 2024 before playing a pivotal role in PSG’s treble-winning campaign last term.
The 29-year-old has proven himself as an elite operator and would likely slot into an already strong engine room.
The futures of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo remain unclear, but they may prove valuable to Klopp’s 4-3-3 formation as wingers if they choose to remain at the club.
However, if either of the wingers leaves, this could free up space for the arrival of Bayern right-winger Michael Olise.
Olise joined Bayern from Palace in 2024 and has performed well for the Bundesliga giants, registering 32 goals and 40 assists in 82 appearances for the club.
The England-born France international is contracted to Bayern until 2029 and would likely cost in excess of £100 million.
As per ESPN, Man City and Liverpool are also interested in Olise.
Finally, City fans may see star striker Erling Haaland as someone who is going to stay at the club for the rest of his career, given that fact he is contracted to the 10-time champions of England until 2034.
And they could be right. However, when Real come calling, most players find it hard to say no.
As reported by Football Espana, the club hold a ‘dream’ of signing the Norway international this summer.
Meanwhile, Sky Germany claimed that Perez remains in contact with Haaland's representatives and agent, Rafaela Pimenta.
How much would Haaland cost? Probably a world record transfer fee in excess of the £200 million PSG paid for Neymar back in 2017.
Of course, it is possible that none of the four proposed moves happen, but one thing is for sure, and that’s that there will likely be investment into Real’s squad this summer.
Topics: Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, Jurgen Klopp, Transfer News, Football, La Liga
Luke Davies