Chelsea could reportedly consider bringing Carlo Ancelotti back to Stamford Bridge as their new manager should he depart Real Madrid this summer.
The 63-year-old is under contract at the Bernabeu until the end of next season, but his future has been the subject of much debate during the current campaign.
Ancelotti led Real to a La Liga and Champions League double last season, but Los Blancos are seemingly set to cede their domestic title to Barcelona with a whimper this term.
A 3-2 defeat to Villarreal on Saturday leaves Ancelotti's men 12 points adrift of Barca, who can extend their lead at the summit to 15 points by winning their game in hand against Girona on Monday night.
Real Madrid are still fighting to retain their European title as they prepare to meet Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals, with the first leg taking place at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
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However, should Los Blancos fail to clinch Champions League crown number 15, Ancelotti is under no illusions that his job will be under threat, according to ESPN.
The Italian could therefore be considered for a return to Chelsea, who are intrigued by the prospect of allowing Ancelotti to take younger coaches under his wing at Stamford Bridge.
Ancelotti's experience working alongside a sporting director is also said to appeal to the Blues, who first hired the four-time Champions League winner to the hotseat in 2009.
After replacing Guus Hiddink, Ancelotti won a Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea in the 2009-10 season, while also collecting the Community Shield before departing in 2011.
Since leaving the English capital, Ancelotti has enjoyed stints at Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton before returning to Real, where he has a record of 71 wins, 14 draws and 16 losses from his 101 games in charge since 2021.
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Brazil are also known to be keen to appoint Ancelotti should he end his stint in Madrid, and the Italian recently talked up the prospect of taking over the five-time World Cup winners.
Chelsea relieved Graham Potter of his duties after just seven months earlier in April, and former head coach Frank Lampard was lured back to Stamford Bridge to take over until the end of the season.
However, the 44-year-old's homecoming ended in despair on Saturday, as Chelsea suffered a 1-0 Premier League defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers to remain 11th in the table.
Ancelotti is just one of several names on Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali's shortlist for the manager's job, with Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino also said to be leading candidates.
River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo and Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso are rumoured to be outside candidates, and Chelsea have supposedly already made contact with the former.
