Three Real Madrid stars 'threaten to leave' if Carlo Ancelotti is sacked and Xabi Alonso replaces him

Three Real Madrid stars have reportedly threatened to leave the club with Carlo Ancelotti if the Italian is sacked at the end of the season.

Ancelotti is in his fourth season in charge during what is his second spell with Los Blancos.

He has delivered a further two Champions League titles for the club, with Real entering this season's competition as defending champions.

They had a difficult start to the group stage, losing to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, but reached the play-off stage and thrashed Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate.

Real also bounced back from a tough start to the La Liga campaign, though they have failed to win three of their last five matches and have slipped behind Barcelona on goal difference, having played a match more than their El Clasico rivals.

Rumours emerged as early as January that Ancelotti could leave Real at the end of the season, and that the club had already decided on Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as their preferred successor.

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid (Image: Getty)

Relevo journalist Jorge Picon has since reported that Ancelotti is 'happy' at Real and is expecting to continue in his role until at least the expiry of his contract in 2026.

But a failure to win the Champions League - as is the case with every Real Madrid manager - could decide the 65-year-old's future for him.

They beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of their last 16 tie, but now face a tough trip to the Wanda Metropolitano to contest the second leg.

According to Don Balon, three Real players have now indicated to president Florentino Perez that they want Ancelotti to remain with the club beyond this summer.

Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni are all said to have a 'fantastic' relationship with the Italian and hope to continue working under him.

Carlo Ancelotti pictured with Eduardo Camavinga before the 2024 Champions League final (Image: Getty)

All three players have been regularly involved in the first team throughout this season, though each have had spells out of the team in recent years.

Tchouameni has been linked with a move away from Real to join Liverpool - a prospect which may soon become a reality for Reds fans if Ancelotti does depart the Bernabeu come season's end.