Carlo Ancelotti’s second stint as Real Madrid manager will come to an end at the close of this season, with the Italian set to take over as head coach of Brazil. Although Ancelotti’s contract at Madrid runs until 2026, The Athletic reports that a decision has been made regarding his future.
Real Madrid was defeated 3-2 by Barcelona in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final and were eliminated from the Champions League by Arsenal earlier this month. With five La Liga games left, they are currently four points behind Barcelona, and these will be the final matches of Ancelotti’s tenure at the club.
Brazil has been working hard to secure Ancelotti’s appointment, with plans to finalize the deal once the European season ends. This means he won’t be in charge for the summer’s Club World Cup.
Diego Fernandes, an intermediary for the Brazilian Football Federation, was seen attending the Copa del Rey final in Sevilla on Saturday and is believed to have had talks with Ancelotti about replacing Dorival Junior. Dorival was dismissed after Brazil’s 4-1 defeat to Argentina in World Cup qualifying last month.
Fernandes has been spending a significant amount of time in Spain in recent months, aiming to convince Ancelotti to take the Brazil job before World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June, and to miss Madrid’s participation in the Club World Cup.
Former Real Madrid player and current Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is reportedly the leading candidate to replace Ancelotti.