Florentino Perez has not been quiet about wanting Toni Kroos back inside Real Madrid. The president, re-elected in June to a term that runs until 2030, has already spoken to the German directly about a role at the club, and so far has walked away without a yes.

Now the man he spoke to has taken the step that would make a seat on the bench technically possible.

Kroos, 36, has informed the Spanish football federation (RFEF) that he wants to join a special coaching programme for current and former professionals, with the course scheduled for the 2027-28 season, according to beIN Sports’ write-up of Spanish daily AS. The target is the UEFA A License, the certification the RFEF hands out to ex-pros who complete the programme.

The license Kroos still needs

He already holds a coaching qualification, but it is a narrow one: it covers Spanish football down to the third tier, and at a professional club he can only sit beside the head coach, not in the chair. The RFEF course on his wishlist is the next rung on the ladder.

Read also: MotoGP chief: ‘Riders aren’t following the ruleset’

Even the A License would not quite put him in a La Liga dugout. “Managing Spain’s First or Second Division requires a UEFA PRO License or equivalent,” beIN Sports noted, calling that final step “a qualification he still needs to obtain.”

Perez is still waiting

Perez is “a big fan” of Kroos and has had direct conversations with him about a return to Madrid, Sport1 reported, but a collaboration has not materialised.

beIN Sports was blunter about where things stand.

“There is no official proposal for Kroos to join the first-team coaching staff.”

Read also: Mourinho reacts to Man City guilty verdict: “We’ll be 80 before it’s over”

Jose Mourinho runs the first team at the Santiago Bernabeu after being appointed in June 2026 on a three-year contract that begins the day preseason starts. Any formal step up for Kroos is a project for the back half of the decade, not the next transfer window.

The academy and the podcast

Since retiring after Euro 2024, Kroos has filled his days with the Toni Kroos Academy in Boadilla del Monte, just outside Madrid, and his podcast “Einfach mal Luppen” with his brother Felix. beIN Sports also noted that he has spent informal time around Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Jupp Heynckes, picking apart how coaches of that generation actually work.

AS stressed that filing for the course is not the same as a hurry to return. There is no team, no agreement and, for now, no public confirmation from Kroos himself that the enrolment has been accepted.

Read also: Michael Olise sends clear message to Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City amid transfer interest