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Real Madrid look very likely to make a change in management ahead of next season.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has seen his position come under increasing scrutiny as 2024/25 has neared its conclusion. Setbacks in critical matches — the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal exit to Arsenal, and the defeats to Barcelona in the finals of the Supercopa de Espana and Copa del Rey — have proved particularly damaging.
Even though Madrid remain in the hunt for the La Liga title, it is expected that Ancelotti will be replaced, perhaps even before the FIFA Club World Cup gets underway in June. Xabi Alonso is the heavy favourite to take over, with an announcement over Ancelotti's future predicted to come as early as Sunday after El Clasico.
On April 28, it seemed as though the veteran coach had secured his next job, with talks over the Brazil national-team role apparently going well. Two days later, things suddenly look a lot less clear. At this stage, the deal feels a little up in the air.
So, is Ancelotti going to Brazil? Is he even going to leave Madrid at all? The Sporting News has the latest.
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Is Carlo Ancelotti leaving Real Madrid?
It remains likely that Ancelotti will leave Real Madrid, probably once the La Liga season has ended and therefore before the Club World Cup in June.
It has been speculated that Madrid could make the announcement as early as this Sunday, after they face Barcelona in El Clasico. Bayer Leverkusen head coach Alonso is expected to be his replacement.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ancelotti would not be drawn on the specifics over his future, but he did seem to indicate that his time in charge was coming to a close.
"With this club, the honeymoon doesn't end. It will go on forever," he said.
"Real Madrid, like [AC] Milan before, are teams that remain in my heart more than others. This is quite normal because of the time spent here and because I feel very good here.
"The honeymoon with Madrid will be until the last day of my life."
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Will Carlo Ancelotti be the next Brazil coach?
Despite initial talks looking positive, it was reported on April 30 indicated that the deal with Brazil could be close to collapsing, leaving Ancelotti's future less certain.
Conflicting reports emerged around why talks with Brazil seem to have hit a road block, although the most concrete pointed to Real Madrid's own intransigence over paying up the rest of his wages.
Fabrizio Romano suggested Madrid's conditions on how the coach's contract termination would be processed have caused an issue. ESPN echoed this, stating: "Madrid are unwilling to pay the remainder of Ancelotti's contract, which expires in 2026, leaving a move that seemed to be nearing completion at the start of the week at an impasse."
Globo in Brazil even claimed negotiations had stopped, with Brazil now turning back to former leading candidate Jorge Jesus. The outlet said Madrid would only allow Ancelotti to leave for the Selecao job if they did not incur a cost in the process.
However, ESPN later reported that Brazil are prepared to wait for their top target. The CBF are said to be prepared to let Ancelotti focus on Madrid's final league games for at least as long as the title is up for grabs, although they want a final decision before the end of the month.
It now seems as though the deal could still go ahead. It is likely that Ancelotti would complete the league season with Madrid before leaving his role in the Spanish capital, at which point he would be free to take up the post with Brazil.
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