Man Utd to benefit as Jurgen Klopp asks Real Madrid to sell superstar

Rusty Gorelick
  • 25 Feb 2026 17:30 GMT
  • 3 min read
Jürgen Klopp, Real Madrid
© IMAGO

Jurgen Klopp has made a gigantic request to Real Madrid amid rumours linking him to Los Blancos’ managerial position.

Article continues under the video

The ex-Liverpool coach asked the club to accept a mammoth €150 million bid from Manchester United for Vinicius Junior, according to Football365.

Klopp would use the funds to ‘reshape the squad to his liking’ while having one less ego to cater to.

Current ETV
Player image Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid logo

Real Madrid

Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

Real Madrid

€99.1M

ETV Range

€89.2M - €109M

Real Madrid found success under Carlo Ancelotti as the Italian found a way to get the likes of Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham to coexist. Ancelotti’s successor, ex-Real Madrid defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso, only lasted a few months in part because the club’s superstar players did not enjoy his tactics-based approach.

Klopp led Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool to the highest levels of European football with his high-pressing, ‘heavy-metal football’ system, and he would want to stick with what he knows if the current Red Bull Head of Global Soccer took up the post in the Bernabeu dugout.

Man Utd to benefit from Klopp’s Real Madrid overhaul

The addition of Vinicius Jr would be the latest coup in Man Utd’s effort to rebuild its attack.

STATS
Player image Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid logo

Real Madrid

Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

Real Madrid

All Tournaments

2025/26

  • 36

    Games

  • 12

    Goals

  • 9

    Assists

The club signed ex-RB Leipzig wonderkid centre-forward Benjamin Sesko and Premier League-proven stars Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in the 2025 summer transfer window.

Through 27 matches played, Man Utd are tied for third in the Premier League in goals scored with 48, level with Chelsea and behind first- and second-placed Arsenal and Manchester City, respectively.

Bruno Fernandes, whose Premier League-best 12 assists are five more than the players tied for second, has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford despite the club viewing him as ‘indespensible.’

Current ETV
Player image Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes

AM, M, DM (C)

Man Utd logo

Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes

AM, M, DM (C)

Man Utd

Man Utd

€41.5M

ETV Range

€37.4M - €45.7M

Selling the Portuguese playmaker would provide a windfall of cash to spend on Vinicius Jr, and it would allow next season’s head coach to move Cunha permanently into a more central role, where he thrived with Wolverhampton Wanderers before his Man Utd transfer.

The notion of Man Utd signing an ever-present Real Madrid superstar who has topped 20 goals in all competitions in each of the last four full seasons may seem surprising given Man Utd’s lack of consistency dating back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 departure.

If the Red Devils maintain the form they have shown so far under Michael Carrick, Champions League football and a hefty wage package could be enough to convince Vinicius Jr to make the switch if Klopp indeed takes the Real Madrid job.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

Google Play

App Store

Never miss the next big transfer!

Get the latest transfer insights and analyses directly in your mailbox.