Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti plans sabbatical

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will take a year off from football management if the club sacks him in the coming weeks.

The 55-year-old is expected to leave the Bernabeu against his will at the end of the season after guiding Los Blancos to a trophy-less season.

Despite going on a record 22-match winning run before the winter break, Real Madrid have been pipped to the Spanish title by Luis Enrique’s Barcelona and were knocked out of the Champions League by Serie A champions Juventus.

It leaves Ancelotti’s future looking increasingly uncertain and the expectation is that the Italian, who has one year remaining on his three-year contract, will leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the coming days, despite guiding his team to a 7-3 win over Getafe in their final match of the season on Saturday.

He has been linked with the Manchester City job should Manuel Pellegrini also be sacked but the Italian is not planning on joining a new club straight away.

“My future is clear in my head. I will continue here at Real Madrid or I will stop for a year,” Ancelotti said.

“I think we are going to meet next week to clarify the future of the club.”

According to reports in Spain, Real have already lined up Napoli boss Rafa Benitez as the man to replace Ancelotti.

The Spaniard is available for free this summer with his contract due to expire and is being tipped to leave Napoli, although Zinedine Zidane and Jurgen Klopp are likely to be in the running for the Bernabeu hot seat.

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