Massimiliano Allegri has emerged as a surprise candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager this summer.
While not yet confirmed, it is almost certain that Ancelotti will depart at the end of the season, with some reports claiming he will leave before the Club World Cup in June.
No matter how the end of the season panned out, Ancelotti was always set to move on, and that looks even more likely now following Saturday's Copa del Rey final defeat to rivals Barcelona.
Xabi Alonso has long been the frontrunner to replace Ancelotti whenever he leaves, but a new report has claimed that the former Los Blancos midfielder is not the only candidate for the role.
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Allegri 'liked' by Real Madrid president Perez
Fichajes claim that experienced Italian manager Allegri is one name being considered by the Real hierarchy, and that he has always been liked by Real Madrid's president Florentino Perez.
Allegri masterminded Juventus' unparalleled levels of success during the mid-to-late 2010s, winning five successive Serie A titles, another four Coppa Italia crowns, and reaching two Champions League finals.
It was a title with AC Milan in 2011 when Allegri finally broke the glass ceiling and proved himself as one of the finest managers in the game, and he was able to overcome a messy situation on his return to Juve to win the Coppa Italia last season, before being fired due to misconduct during the final.
There will be some concerns from Real Madrid fans about Allegri's style of play being too similar to Ancelotti's, though, when they will be hoping for more of a clean sweep, and change in ideology.
Allegri has become synonymous with a defence-first approach, frustrating the opposition and favouring 1-0 wins over dramatic, high-scoring affairs.
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Real Madrid keeping their options open
It is believed that Perez is keeping all options open ahead of the summer, where the managerial market could change rapidly.
Jurgen Klopp has emerged recently as another shock candidate for the manager's role at the Bernabeu, with it not certain they will be able to lure Xabi Alonso away from Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso turned down the opportunity to leave the Bundesliga club last season and the Spaniard is yet to confirm whether he will move on this summer either.
A fairly hefty price may also need to be paid to buy Alonso out of his deal at the BayArena too, something that will not restrict their ability to hire Klopp or Allegri.
Andrew Delaney
