Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that no decision will be made on his future until the end of the season.
Madrid are second in La Liga, four points behind leaders Barcelona, whom they will face in the Copa del Rey final, but fell to a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Arsenal.
Ancelotti’s contract at the Bernabeu runs until 2026 and said on Saturday that his future will not be decided until after the campaign.
“I shouldn’t talk about things about my future, because the contract is quite clear,” Ancelotti said when asked if the club maintained confidence in him. “Whatever it is, it will be discussed at the end of the season. The club always supports me, especially in difficult moments.”
In January, Ancelotti said his “departure date” from Madrid “is never going to be decided by me in my life”, and suggested that he and Florentino Perez would leave together in 2029 at the end of the club president’s current term.
The Athletic previously reported that Brazil are interested in having Ancelotti lead the team into the 2026 World Cup.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) — who are also interested in Al Hilal manager Jorge Jesus — have been in touch with the Italian, having also approached him in 2022 and 2023. Madrid say they are unaware of any contact between Ancelotti and Brazil.
Brazil have World Cup qualifiers on June 4 and 9 against Ecuador and Paraguay respectively, and want to appoint Dorival Junior’s successor before the Club World Cup — which Madrid are participating in — begins on June 14.
Madrid will attempt to bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat against Arsenal when they visit Alaves in La Liga on Sunday, three days before hosting Arsenal in the second leg.
When asked about his side’s chances of making a comeback, Ancelotti said: “I don’t know, we’ll try, we’ll try. The truth is that Real Madrid is the only one that has done it many times. We will try until the last minute. Until the last ball.”
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