Real Madrid icon Zinedine Zidane is “one step away” from becoming the next head coach of its Champions League semifinal Bayern Munich according to Mundo Deportivo.
The newspaper explained that anonymous sources “familiar with the talks” between Bayern and Zidane said that although nothing has been signed yet, negotiations are “practically done” to the extent that the Frenchman has already asked for new signings to be made.
Zidane has been out of work since leaving Madrid as a manager for the second time in 2021.
He recently returned to the Bernabeu in some capacity by playing a legends match against Porto last month and explained his departure from the Spanish capital which paved the way for current leader Carlo Ancelotti to take the reins.
In recent weeks, Zidane been strongly linked with a return to management with Bayern Munich touted as one potential next destination.
It has already been known that the Bavarians and Thomas Tuchel will part ways on June 30, and a potential successor in Xabi Alonso was taken off the table when the Spaniard renewed his contract with Bayern’s Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
During a highly impressive campaign that has his team unbeaten up until now, Bayern and Real Madrid legend Alonso won Bayer their first German championship and ended an 11-year dominance from Bayern in the process.
In 2024/2025, it now looks as though Zidane will be the man charged with making Bayern the rulers of the domestic league once more.
This is because according to Mundo Deportivo, Zidane is just “one step away”, a rather a formal signature away, from manning their dugout.
The former Ballon d’Or winner was in a two-horse race with Julian Nagelsmann for the vacancy at the Allianz, but this has been terminated earlier than expected by Nagelsmann renewing his contract with the German national team until after the 2026 World Cup.
MD has spoken to anonymous sources “familiar with the talks” between Bayern and Zidane, and although nothing has been signed, they are “practically done”.
Focusing especially on the defence, Zidane has reportedly asked for reinforcements across a squad that could do with a facelift.
This is an area where Zidane could lose Alphonso Davies this summer, who is a well-known target for Madrid.
As the Canadian’s terms don’t expire until 2025, however, he could stick around for at least a season before switching to the Spanish capital on a free transfer.