Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly the only serious candidate Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will consider to succeed Zinedine Zidane.
The Frenchman's tenure at the Bernabeu appears to be coming to an end following a hugely disappointing campaign to date, which reached its nadir in midweek with a Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat to Leganes.
Madrid are also 19 points off the pace in La Liga and face a tough test against Paris Saint-Germain in the first knockout stage of the Champions League - a two-legged affair that could well decide Zidane's fate.
According to respected Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Los Blancos chiefs have just one man in mind to take over should they indeed swing the axe in the coming months.
Spurs boss Pochettino has refused to play down talk of taking on the job, and Balague - speaking to Sky Sports News - claims that the 45-year-old is "Perez's first, second, third and fourth choice".
Balague added: "He definitely wants Pochettino, there's no doubt about that. I'm pretty sure Mauricio and Spurs know that themselves, but it doesn't mean anything. Pochettino has often said his future does not depend on him and there's truth in that."
Zidane takes his dejected side to third-placed Valencia on Saturday afternoon for their next La Liga outing.
Daniel Lewis
