Zinedine Zidane has shockingly entered the race to take over from Antonio Conte, with Chelsea eyeing an approach for the Real Madrid legend.
Real Madrid fans and world football were left shellshocked as Zinedine Zidane announced that he was stepping down from the managerial role at Real Madrid.
And Chelsea is looking to take advantage of the situation, eyeing a move to replace Antonio Conte with the charismatic Frenchman ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, according to an exclusive report from The Sun.
Zinedine Zidane’s flight into management has been a wild and crazy successful one.
Debuting in top-flight management – his first stint as manager was at Real Madrid Castilla – at one of the biggest clubs in world football, the pressure was on him to succeed from the get-go. And succeed he did, perhaps, way beyond the imagination of any Madridista.
The Frenchman was already a legend with his performances as a player during his time at Real Madrid. But, what he achieved with Real as a manager was truly sensational.
In a tenure spanning just two-and-a-half years, Zinedine Zidane managed to do a three-peat of the Champions League while also getting his hands on the league title in the 2016-17 season.
A total of 9 trophies during his managerial career at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane announced his departure from the club as one of the most successful managers of the club.
And while he did iterate that he is not looking to delve right back into management or inviting offers from teams, it is only logical for Zizou to be serenaded with offers.
One such club is Chelsea, who have been looking to replace Antonio Conte before the beginning of the season.
Despite Conte winning the FA Cup to end the season on a relative high, the club’s inability to qualify for the Champions League for the upcoming season has left a sour taste in the mouth of the fans, the Board and the players alike.
Maurizio Sarri was thought to be in pole position but it seems Chelsea have been put off by Napoli’s insistence to be paid the entirety of the £7 million release clause in order to land the Italian. Other names are starting to prop up, none better than Zinedine Zidane.
It will be interesting to see though if Chelsea are a club that is deemed worth taking up by Zidane.
The Blues are in disarray after their owner Roman Abramovich was denied a UK visa, with the billionaire, in turn, halting the new stadium plans.
On the other hand, Thibaut Courtois is likely to leave after Chelsea ended negotiations over an extension.
While Chelsea might be interested in Zidane, the feeling is unlikely to be mutual.
The former Real Madrid man would have listened to an offer from his hometown club PSG, who have only just appointed Thomas Tuchel as their new manager.
For now, though, it seems Zidane is holding out until the end of the World Cup before taking any decisions.