With Real Madrid’s season not going according to plans, things are looking grim for manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The Merengues have slipped up 12 points behind Barcelona in the La Liga table and are trailing them in the Copa del Rey semi-finals as well.
The UEFA Champions League, as things stand, remains their best avenue for a trophy this term. If Ancelotti does not win a major trophy this season, he could be shown the doors in the summer.
At the same time, the Italian continues to be linked heavily with the Br azil national team job, with Real Madrid stars like Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo Goes further fueling those rumours.
Amidst this Cadena SER (h/t Madrid Xtra) is reporting that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez sees club legend and former manager Zinedine Zidane as his favourite candidate to take over from Ancelotti if he is no longer in charge in the summer.
Zidane, a legend at Real Madrid, has already managed the club on two occasions already. He took over from Rafael Benitez in 2016 and then led the team to three UEFA Champions League titles before stepping down in 2018.
The Frenchman was reappointed as the manager in March 2019 and won a La Liga title before quitting in 2021, at which point Ancelotti was appointed.
Zidane had reportedly been holding out for the France national team job, but with Didier Deschamps signing a new contract, that is no longer on the table.
A return to Real Madrid thus is not completely ruled out, especially with Perez seeing him as his favourite candidate if Ancelotti does end up leaving or getting sacked.