Frenchman in line to coach Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain.
It has been expected for some time that Mauricio Pochettino wouldn't coach Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022/23 season, yet what nobody anticipated was a return to club coaching by Zinedine Zidane.
The latest information suggests that the former Real Madrid coach is the chosen candidate to replace the Argentine, beating competition from Christophe Galtier and Jose Mourinho.
If Zidane was joining a club like Manchester United, Bayern Munich or Juventus then it would be news that Real Madrid fans could expect and understand.
They are all clubs with huge European pedigree and history, and all have their appealing points to potential coaches.
Yet, in partnering with Nasser Al-Khelaifi and PSG, Zidane is going to need forgiveness from Real Madrid, given the new state of rivalry between the two clubs.
PSG have just dealt Real Madrid a hammer blow by utilising intense political pressure to re-sign Kylian Mbappe to a contract renewal, despite Los Blancos having done an unbelievable amount of work to persuade him to sign for the Spanish champions.
That was a big enough blow, but for the favourite son of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu to immediately go and coach him in direct competition with Los Merengues? That is too heavy a blow.
Conspiracies will swirl. Mbappe knew Zidane was coming and stayed. Zidane persuaded Mbappe to stay in Paris, knowing about the job, and he chose to stick the knife in to his former employers... the club where he enjoys legendary status.
There is, of course, the chance that all these instances are coincidence, and Zidane had no input into the decision of Mbappe to reject Real Madrid... but nobody can know for sure.