Zinedine Zidane is reported to be keeping one eye on the manager job at Manchester United as he weighs up a return to work this summer.
The former Real Madrid boss has been without a club since leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2021 but has seen his name thrown back into the headlines due to links with the soon-to-be-vacant position at Bayern Munich.
Bayern had hoped to lure Julian Nagelsmann back from the German national team but, after he signed a new contract on Friday, there have been several reports suggesting Zidane is now an option for the Champions League semi-finals.
Mundo Deportivo claimed Bayern are “very close” to hiring Zidane and French outlet L’Equipe have now thrown their weight behind the claim that Zidane is an option for the German side, although they stress that he is not currently enamoured by the prospect of taking charge.
Instead, it is claimed that Zidane has one eye on the future of Erik ten Hag at United, with whom he has been heavily linked in the past.
Ten Hag remains adamant he will still be in his post at Old Trafford next season but new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have been tipped to make a change after a disappointing campaign, with Zidane likely to appeal.
Reports on Zidane’s future have differed since the initial claim from Spain. kicker put Zidane on a two-man shortlist for the Bayern job but Sky Germany and BILD both state there is “no truth” to links between Bayern and the former Madrid boss.
Zidane has previously cast doubt on his desire to work in a foreign country by admitting he wants to be fluent in the language of any league in which he coaches, specifically naming United as a destination in which he would not be comfortable during an interview in 2022.
Whether that stance has changed in the years since remains to be seen.
In February, Zidane named Italy as a league of interest to him after his five years on the books of Juventus between 1996 and 2001.
What we know
- Zinedine Zidane eyeing a return to management after three years
- Conflicting reports on Bayern Munich’s interest in Frenchman have emerged
- Man Utd touted as possible landing spot.