Juventus sound out Real Madrid boss Zidane for potential return to Turin – reports

Juventus are making behind-the-scenes efforts to sound out Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane over potentially taking the reins at the Turin giants next season, according to reports in France.

Zidane is in his second stint as Real manager, returning in March of 2019 just nine months after sensationally quitting on the back of guiding the team to a third successive Champions League title. 

The Frenchman's second coming at a club where he was also a playing legend has seen mixed results thus far, with the club finishing last season's campaign third in the table, a distant 19 points adrift of Barcelona.

This season they lie second in the table, two points off Barca but having secured a crucial 2-0 Clasico win just before the season was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

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Zidane is widely seen as having a major rebuilding task on his hands at the Bernabeu and is under contract until 2022, although there are suggestions things are far from harmonious with club president Florentino Perez.

According to reports in French outlet Le 10 Sport, waiting in the wings should the 47-year-old Frenchman decide to walk out on Real for a second time is another of his former clubs, Juve.

Zidane spent five years as a player in Turin, winning back-to-back Serie A titles before heading to Real.

According to the outlet, Juve are keen to step up overtures to Zidane's contacts to see if he would be willing to take over from Maurizio Sarri next season.

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Italian Sarri is in his first season in charge at Juve, who are locked in an unusually tight title race with Lazio.

Zidane and current Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo had a famously productive spell together at Real before the Portuguese left for Italy in the summer of 2018, not long after Zidane had departed.

Ronaldo has been involved in several touchline incidents with Sarri after being substituted this season, and Juve bosses may see Zidane as a familiar face to guide him and the rest of the team towards a long-awaited Champions League crown for the first time in over two decades.