Zinedine Zidane could be about to prove one his former Real Madrid teammates wrong with his next career move.
Zidane, 51, has been without a role since leaving Madrid in 2021 – his second spell as head coach at the Bernabeu.
Since stepping down from that job, Zidane has been linked with several top clubs including Manchester United and PSG, as well as the France national team.
A shock report from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo has now claimed that Zidane is close to replacing Thomas Tuchel as manager of Bayern Munich.
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It is claimed that an agreement has not yet been signed with Zidane due to 'missing details', while he is also said to have asked for assurances in the transfer market.
However, he is being tipped as the favourite to replace Tuchel, who is set to leave at the end of the season.
Should he join Bayern Munich, it would go against a prediction from his former Real Madrid teammate Thomas Gravesen – who claimed the French legend would only consider three specific roles after leaving Madrid.
"I spoke to Zidane in Madrid two years ago and he told me that there are only three roles that he would like to accept," Gravesen told Discovery+ (via The Metro).
"And they are Marseille, [Real] Madrid and the French national team.
"We were in Madrid two years ago and he told me exactly that. I also asked him if he was willing to manage again and there he told me that only if there were possibilities for those three."
When asked about Zidane potentially managing Manchester United, Gravesen added: "I would say that the team he had in Madrid was fantastic, and he was prepared from the beginning.
"At United the situation is different, it is very difficult to do something with the team that [Erik] ten Hag has at the moment."
Zidane previously ruled himself out of taking the United job due to his lack of fluency in English.
"If I go to a club, it's to win," he told L'Equipe.
"I say this in all modesty. That's why I can't go anywhere. For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. Which ones? The language, for example. Certain conditions make things more difficult.
"When people say to me: 'Do you want to go to Manchester?' I understand English but I don't fully master it.
"I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play. It's a global context. Me, I know what I need to win."
He could face a similar problem at Bayern, as he does not speak German.
However, the chance to manage the likes of Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala might be enough to convince him to make the move.
Topics: Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Thomas Tuchel, Manchester United, Bundesliga
Rory O'Callaghan