Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is reportedly a serious candidate to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
According to a report by Tribal Football, Antonio Conte could be the man to take over the reigns at Real Madrid from Zinedine Zidane, with pressure mounting on the Frenchman. Los Blancos though, are yet to contact the Chelsea manager, whose own future at Stamford Bridge is uncertain.
Conte’s 18-month stint at Chelsea has been a mixed bag. The Blues won the Premier League title last season, just twelve months after they finished 10th in their title defence in 2015-16. This season though, things have been different.
While Chelsea haven’t exactly struggled in the current campaign, they have little chance of winning the Premier League, if at all. To make matters worse, Conte is reportedly unhappy with the club’s transfer policy, as the Blues failed to land his preferred targets last summer.
In the recent months, speculation has been growing surrounding his increasingly uncertain position at Stamford Bridge, with reports claiming that he could leave Chelsea at the end of the season. With Conte possibly getting on the market, Real Madrid are now plotting a swoop for the Italian manager.
Los Blancos have endured an uncharacteristically torrid season so far, with Real Madrid lagging well behind bitter rivals Barcelona in La Liga. Real Madrid didn’t perform at their best in the UEFA Champions League either, and pressure is mounting on Zinedine Zidane to win a trophy or risk the dreaded Florentino Perez sack.
With no certainty around Zidane’s future, the Spanish and European champions are drawing up a shortlist of possible successors. The man on top of the aforementioned wishlist is Conte, who is considered as the manager with just the traits to succeed at Real Madrid.
Italian agent Valerio Militi, who has close ties with Real Madrid has confirmed the same, saying, “At this point, Real Madrid and Conte haven’t talked yet. Nonetheless, the Blues’ coach could be a serious candidate to be the successor of Zizou.”
But, Real Madrid haven’t established contacts with Conte yet, although he remains a target. The manager’s style of play could also help Los Blancos get some defensive stability while being an equally formidable attacking side.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, they are already reported to be lining up replacements, should Conte call it quits. For now though, it remains to be seen if Real Madrid indeed end up swooping in for the Italian as Zidane’s future gets increasingly uncertain.
