Alonso tells Real Madrid to stop £34m ‘diamond’ from joining Liverpool – report

Xabi Alonso wants Real Madrid to beat Liverpool to the signing of one of the best players in Germany, according to a report, as TEAMtalk reveals why Arne Slot is keen on the midfielder.

Alonso was linked with the Liverpool managerial job last year when Jurgen Klopp announced his departure, but the former Spain international midfielder stayed at Bayer Leverkusen. The 43-year-old has already said that he is leaving the German club and is set to replace Carlo Ancelotti as the Madrid head coach.

Dean Huijsen has become Madrid’s first signing, with sources telling TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, that Los Blancos got a £50million deal done for the defender in just six hours despite Liverpool’s interest in the Spain international.

It is also widely expected that Trent Alexander-Arnold will make the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu once his current contract with Liverpool comes to an end this summer.

Not satisfied with dealing a double blow to Liverpool, Alonso now wants Madrid to beat the Premier League champions to the signing of Angelo Stiller.

According to Marca, Alonso has told Madrid to get a deal done for Stiller in the summer transfer window and stop him from joining Liverpool.

Luka Modric and Dani Ceballos could leave Los Blancos this summer, and Madrid will need a new midfielder.

Alonso has seen Stiller closely in the Bundesliga, and the former Liverpool and Madrid midfielder believes that the 24-year-old Germany international would star at the Santiago Bernabeu.

According to Marca, Stiller is valued at €40million (£33.6m / $44.6m), with Liverpool also keen on the defensive midfielder.

Defensa Central, too, has noted Liverpool’s interest in Stiller, who was described in Breaking The Lines in March 2025 as ‘The Diamond of the Bundesliga’, with former Stuttgart and Germany international right-back Andreas Beck noting that he is one of the “gems” in the German top flight.

DON’T MISS 🌐 Top 10 most expensive Real Madrid signings of all time, with Ancelotti at the helm for four

Why Liverpool want Angelo Stiller – sources

TEAMtalk can confirm that Liverpool are interested in a summer deal for Stiller.

Our transfer correspondent, Rudy Galetti, reported on January 17 that Liverpool were keeping tabs on the midfielder.

Sources have told TEAMtalk that Liverpool manager Arne Slot wants to sign a defensive midfielder in the summer transfer window.

Liverpool were keen on Martin Zubimendi last summer, but the Spain international midfielder had a late change of heart and decided to stay at Real Sociedad.

Although Ryan Gravenberch has been a revelation in the role under Slot this season, the Premier League champions are still keen on adding a new number 6 in the summer.

Latest Real Madrid news: Liverpool ‘angry’, Arsenal swap

Liverpool are ‘angry’ to learn Madrid’s plan about Ibrahima Konate, according to a report in the Spanish press.

The Premier League champions have already decided how to take ‘revenge’.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly ready to sacrifice William Saliba to get a deal done for one of Madrid’s best forwards.

Madrid president Florentino Perez is already said to have made a decision on such a proposal.

Meanwhile, Alonso wants Madrid to raid Liverpool for one of their best midfielders in the summer transfer window.

Who is Angelo Stiller?

By Samuel Bannister

A product of Bayern Munich’s legendary academy, Stiller made three appearances for the club – two in the Champions League and one in the DFB-Pokal – before moving to Hoffenheim in 2021.

It was with Hoffenheim – and under the wing of his former Bayern youth boss, Sebastien Hoeness – that the midfielder made his Bundesliga breakthrough, making 26 league appearances in his debut season. And after 20 more the following season, he followed Hoeness again to sign for Stuttgart in 2023.

Since then, Stiller has gone from strength to strength, securing a runners-up Bundesliga finish last season and even earning his Germany debut in 2024. But what kind of player is he?

The fact that Stiller’s first goal for Stuttgart came seven months after his arrival at the club is an indication that he isn’t the most attack-minded midfielder. Instead, his strengths lie in his defensive abilities and conductive nature from the middle of the park.

A profile of Stiller on the Bundesliga’s official website suggested he ‘plays a bit like Joshua Kimmich’, which isn’t a bad player to base yourself on as a rising German midfielder. He has even drawn comparisons to Toni Kroos, having effectively stepped into his vacant space in the national team squad. It’s a style Stiller acknowledges as one he’s modelling his game on, even though he doesn’t class himself in the same bracket of ability as Kroos.

Yet Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has even suggested Stiller would be a good signing for Barcelona as he would ‘organise their midfield’. If an icon of the game like that believes Stiller could make his mark in one of the best teams in the world, it’s a promising sign of his ability.

From the base of midfield, Stiller’s pass completion rates this season have been hovering around the 90% mark. He’s someone who can progress play and is integral to how his team build up their attacks.

But as a holding midfielder, is he defensively sound? The answer is that he passes that test with flying colours too.

Stiller is a strong deep-lying playmaker who has been nurtured excellently by Hoeness, but might be ready to make his name elsewhere and under the tutelage of someone else.