Real Madrid are confident of reappointing Carlo Ancelotti as manager providing they can agree the termination of his contract with Everton. Ancelotti has three years remaining on the £11m-a-year deal he signed in December 2019 and recently dismissed the possibility of returning to the Bernabéu as Zinedine Zidane’s successor.
Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, has made a determined effort to rehire the coach he sacked a year after winning the Champions League in 2014 and compensation with Everton is understood to be the only obstacle remaining.
The 61-year-old guided Everton to a disappointing 10th-place finish in his first full Premier League season with the club but was instrumental in attracting James Rodríguez and Allan to Merseyside. With the director of football, Marcel Brands, Ancelotti has been working on Everton’s transfer targets and his departure would represent a severe blow to the majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, in his quest for stability under a high-profile manager.
Moshiri will be seeking the sixth permanent managerial appointment of his tenure should Ancelotti leave. David Moyes, who guided West Ham to sixth in the Premier League and European qualification last season, was a strong contender to replace Marco Silva before Ancelotti became available after his dismissal by Napoli.
Everton would likely have him on any shortlist to replace Ancelotti but West Ham have no intention of losing Moyes and are close to finalising a new three-year deal with him. Moyes, who is searching for a new No 2 following Alan Irvine’s departure, will be backed in the transfer market by West Ham. They are interested in signing Spartak Moscow’s Alex Kral, although reports that they have agreed personal terms with the highly rated Czech Republic midfielder are premature.
Moyes is also on the hunt for a new striker and has looked at Tammy Abraham, who is out of favour at Chelsea. However West Ham could be priced out of a move for Abraham, valued by Chelsea at £40m. Another priority for West Ham will be bringing in a goalkeeper to challenge Lukasz Fabianski. They have considered West Brom’s Sam Johnstone and Paris Saint-Germain’s Alphonse Areola, who spent last season on loan at Fulham.
Nuno Espírito Santo, who left Wolves last month, would likely be considered by Everton should Ancelotti depart. Ancelotti, one of three managers to have won the Champions League/European Cup on three occasions, was asked about the possibility of rejoining Madrid on 18 May. He said: “This is good publicity for me to be linked with Real Madrid but it is not true. I am really happy to stay here. We have difficulties of course but I feel good at Everton and my target is to make Everton better and better every year.”
Source: The Guardian