Fulham have held talks with Álvaro Arbeloa's representatives over appointing the former Real Madrid coach as manager, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
The Premier League club are looking for a replacement for Marco Silva, who is taking charge at Benfica after five years at Craven Cottage.
Arbeloa, 43, officially left Madrid this week after five months as first-team coach at the Bernabéu, having taken over from Xabi Alonso in January.
Arbeloa was drafted in to manage Real Madrid following Xabi Alonso's departure but José Mourinho has since returned to Los Blancos. Angel Martinez/Getty Images Sources told ESPN that although discussions have taken place between Fulham and Arbeloa, they are not yet at an advanced stage.
Arbeloa was highly rated as an academy coach at Madrid, impressing with reserve team Castilla before being promoted to replace Alonso when he was fired midway through last season.
The former Liverpool defender led Madrid to a second-placed finish in LaLiga -- eight points behind champions Barcelona -- but they were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, and knocked out of the Copa del Rey by lower-tier Albacete.
- World Cup 2026: Which players from your Premier League team are going? - Marco Silva announced as Jose Mourinho replacement at Benfica
"I arrived four months ago as a First Division RFEF [third tier] coach and I'm leaving as Real Madrid coach, having managed Champions League matches," Arbeloa said last month. "There aren't many coaches who can say that. For me, these four months have been a great experience, a learning process. Being here every day has been like doing a Masters."
Silva guided Fulham to an 11th place finish in 2025-26, and has taken over from José Mourinho -- who has joined Madrid -- at Benfica.
Information from Tom Hamilton was used in this report.