Real Madrid want to appoint Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager by the end of next month, according to latest reports.
It seems the Argentine has moved ahead of former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte as the preferred candidate to replace Julen Lopetegui after his sacking was officially confirmed on Monday.
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Pochettino has worked wonders in his time with Tottenham, even if he’s yet to actually win a piece of silverware with the north London giants.
One can only imagine what kind of fine work Pochettino could do with a club boasting the kind of resources Madrid have at their disposal, but that may not be the only reason behind the club’s apparent change of heart.
According to the Sun, Conte seems to have been vetoed by a number of Los Blancos players, while there was also a fear that they would be unable to sign £100million target Eden Hazard from Conte’s old club Chelsea due to their poor relationship from their time together at Stamford Bridge.
The report states the Belgian remains a target for Real, and it may be that Pochettino is the man to help the Spanish giants finally bring him to the Bernabeu.
There has also been talk from Marca, translated by the Metro, over a disagreement about transfer targets, while the Manchester Evening News quote a source suggesting the Italian could also be eyeing up the Manchester United job as an alternative.