Real Madrid have opened talks with club legend Raul over the prospect of replacing his former teammate Zinedine Zidane as manager at the Bernabeu, according to reports.
Zidane is expected to step down from his role as Madrid head coach for a second time at the end of this campaign, despite still having one year remaining on his current contract.
The Frenchman has reportedly already told his players that he will not see out his contract, although Zidane has since denied those speculations.
However, Real Madrid are believed to have drawn up a shortlist of candidates to take over from Zidane, which includes Raul, Massimiliano Allegri and Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Los Blancos have already held initial discussions with Raul on matters such as staffing and methods of working at the club.
The Spaniard is currently in charge of the Real Madrid Castilla team, who play in the third tier of Spanish football, and wants to focus on promoting youth should he get the top job at Santiago Bernabeu.
That would come as a huge blow to Arsenal who are hoping to keep hold of loanee Martin Odegaard at the Emirates.
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Under Raul, the club would look to sell some of their bigger stars and while the former striker has a similar background to Zidane, as the duo are club legends and have worked for Real’s reserve side, Although they are viewed as very different managers by the club’s hierarchy.
Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt are also reported to be interested in appointing Raul, although he would prefer to take over at the Spanish club, having represented Real Madrid for 18 years as a player.
The 43-year-old coach is Real Madrid’s second-highest scorer of all time, netting 323 goals in 741 appearances for the club across all competitions.
