Spanish Report Claims Cristiano Ronaldo Wants Jurgen Klopp as Next Real Madrid Manager

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is said to be Cristiano Ronaldo's first choice to replace Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid manager should the Frenchman be sacked. 

Madrid have endured a difficult defence of their Spanish league title, with Los Blancos currently fourth in table and sixteen points adrift of leaders Barcelona, giving rise to speculation that Zidane could leave Real at the end of the season - with Germany manager Joachim Low another to be linked with the Bernabeu hot seat.

Notorious Spanish rumourmongers Don Balon claim that Ronaldo wants Klopp to be the man to take over should Zidane leave, because of the attacking prowess he has managed to instil in his Liverpool side.

Klopp's side have so far found the net 50 times in their 22 Premier League games this season, with suggestions that Madrid could also attempt to prise striker Mohammed Salah away from Anfield.

Egyptian striker Salah has got 17 of those 50 league goals this season, a tally which rises to 23 when other competitions are also taken into account.

Regardless of Ronaldo's desire to see Klopp at Madrid, it remains a long jump from Real being in poor form to Zidane, who oversaw the club's most successful calendar year ever in 2017 being sacked - the Frenchman saying earlier this week: "I just go game to game, year to year.

"I cannot think two or three years down the line, as I know how it is here, even having a contract, which means nothing."

Having been held by Celta Vigo in the league and Numancia in the Copa del Rey in their last two games, Madrid face another tricky task at the weekend as they host sixth placed Villarreal in La Liga.