Xabi Alonso tells Los Blancos to sign €75m Liverpool midfielder after agent said he’d ‘love’ him to move

After signing Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and showing interest in Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister, Real Madrid are now keen on another of Arne Slot’s top players, according to a Spanish report, as TEAMtalk analyses whether a transfer could happen following previous comments from his agent.

Real Madrid and Liverpool are two of the biggest and most historic clubs in the world, and both regularly compete for domestic honours and the Champions League. However, that has not stopped Madrid from trying to prise away star players from Liverpool, especially in recent times.

Madrid signed Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool at the end of last season. Los Blancos had a deal in place with the defender to move to the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent and paid the Reds €10million (£8.7m, $11.7m) only because manager Xabi Alonso wanted him in his squad for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Ibrahima Konate could also end up at Madrid next summer, with the Spanish media adamant that the Liverpool star will not sign a new deal with the Reds and leave on a free transfer, with a ‘preliminary agreement’ already in place with Los Blancos.

Carlo Ancelotti told Madrid to sign Mac Allister from Madrid before he stepped down as the manager at the end of last season.

A new Liverpool star has now emerged on Madrid’s radar, with a report in Spain claiming that Alonso has told Los Blancos to sign Ryan Gravenberch, with the Spanish manager himself having swapped Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009.

According to Fichajes, Granvenberch is Alonso’s ‘new wish for Real Madrid’, with the 43-year-old having ‘indicated’ to Los Blancos president Florentino Perez to sign the Liverpool player so that he could operate alongside Aurelien Tchouameni in a double pivot.

Granvenberch joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in 2023 when Jurgen Klopp was in charge, but it was under Arne Slot last season that the 23-year-old ‘exploded’ and was instrumental in the Reds winning the Premier League title.

The Dutchman gave four assists in 37 Premier League matches last season, playing in a defensive midfield role, and has already scored one goal and registered one assist in four appearances this campaign.

Liverpool value the Netherlands international at €75million (£65.3m, $88.2m), according to the report.

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What Ryan Gravenberch’s agent has said about Real Madrid

Fichajes is not one of the most reliable news outlets, so the claim that Alonso wants Madrid to sign Gravenberch from Liverpool must be taken with a pinch of salt.

However, it would be remiss to think that given how good Gravenberch is and how much he has developed under Slot at Liverpool, Madrid are not at least throwing admiring glances at him.

Moreover, earlier this year, the Netherlands international midfielder’s agent went public with the star’s desire to play for Madrid.

Jose Fortes told Marca in April 2025: “When Ryan was 16, Barça called us. They wanted to sign him, but his father and I prioritised his development.

“At Ajax, he was able to develop in a way that he possibly wouldn’t have at Barca.”

Fortes added: “He’s good enough for Real Madrid. We would love for him to play for them, but Liverpool would ask for a lot of money.

“I know they’ve had their eye on him, but now it’s impossible.”

Liverpool are not a selling club, and Gravenberch is under contract at the defending Premier League champions until the summer of 2028.

The Reds are certainly not going to make it easy for Los Blancos to sign the 23-year-old in the upcoming transfer windows.

However, the lure of playing for Madrid, arguably the biggest club in the world, is too good to resist for many players, and it could come down to what Gravenberch would want to do in the coming years.

At the moment, Madrid are well stocked in the midfield department, and there is no immediate need for Los Blancos to sign Gravenberch, although there is little doubt that he would be an asset for the Spanish and European giants.

Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler are the midfield options for Alonso at the moment.

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