Search icon

Football

08th Jun 2018

Liverpool’s move for Alisson may hinge on ambitious Real Madrid managerial swoop

Patrick McCarry

Real Madrid could be looking a whole lot more Brazilian next season.

Not content with winning their third Champions League title in succession, Los Blancos are set to make some interesting additions to their 2018/19 squad.

Real are currently without a manager after Zinedine Zidane decided to step away from his trophy-laden role with the club.

Real have been linked with the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Guti, Arsene Wenger and Maurizio Sarri but the latest reports from Spain suggest the club could be looking further afield.

Radio Sagres has claimed the Spanish outfit have already made an approach for Brazil manager Tite. The 57-year-old, who has been coaching for just under three decades, took over Brazil in 2016 and has an 80 per cent win rate with the South Americans [16 wins from 20 games].

The CBF [Brazil’s football federation] is keen for Tite to sign a contract extension up to the 2022 World Cup but he appears to have put all talk about his future to one side. Fearing they could lose their man, CBF president Rogério Caboclo has flown to England to talk with Tite.

The Real carrot for the veteran coach would be the significant salary increase and the opportunity to give European football a shot with some familiar faces – Casemiro and Marcelo – at his disposal. The Spaniards have also been heavily linked with Neymar Jr. and promising Santos forward Rodrygo.

Should Tite opt for a switch back to club football, it could well sway Roma and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker when he decides his future. The 25-year-old is said to be a target of Chelsea and Real. Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino told reporters earlier this week that his compatriot has been quizzing him about Anfield, Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool squad.

Liverpool have a top-class goalkeeper high on their list of priorities and Alisson would be a marked improvement over Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet.

The whole matter may not be resolved now until after the World Cup and, if Real get Tite, a few Brazilians – Alisson included – may follow their national coach to Madrid.