Real Madrid have identified Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino as their preferred target if they decide to part ways with Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane has faced intense pressure in recent weeks after struggling to help Real improve, despite bolstering his squad to the tune of €300m this summer, with the expensive additions of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes.
Now, according to The Mirror, Real will look to recruit Pochettino if Zidane does leave, and Los Blancos are thought to be waiting to see whether the Spurs boss is actually interested in the position.
Whilst it is unclear whether Pochettino would want to take up the job in the near future, he did suggest to El Chiringuito's Edu Aguirre that he would be open to it at some point down the line.
When asked whether he is interested in managing Real, Pochettino simply responded: "Maybe some year."
It's certainly not the first time that Pochettino has been linked with the La Liga giants. He was tipped to head to Spain before Zidane returned to Real, and it is thought that club officials have retained their interest in the Argentine, with president Florentino Perez leading the charge.
There are fears amongst many at Spurs that Pochettino may be tempted by a move overseas, but they will do everything to keep him if Real do make an approach.
A very proud Mauricio Pochettino talks the game that got Spurs to the @ChampionsLeague final at @FIFAcom #BestAwards pic.twitter.com/udhFrY3Pwx
— 90min (@90min_Football) September 23, 2019
On an £8.5m-a-year contract until 2023, Pochettino would certainly not come cheap for Real, whilst it is also thought that it would cost Los Blancos around €80m to part ways with Zidane so early into his contract.
It would not come as too much of a surprise to see Real bite the bullet and spend heavily on a new manager. We have seen that the club are prepared to pay whatever it takes to achieve success, and their recent poor run of form will only have convinced Perez to spend even more.
Source : 90min