Brazil have been courting Carlo Ancelotti since the beginning of 2023, but as the year comes to a close, it looks as if the Selecao may lose out on the Real Madrid coach.

The Italian manager remarked on Saturday that he would wait until the last day for Real Madrid if there was a chance they wanted to keep him, in spite of reports from Brazil that they were confident of Ancelotti joining them at the end of the season. CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues has publicly remarked in the past that he would be their coach too.

However Relevo say that Real Madrid have come to the conclusion that they do in fact want Ancelotti to continue at the helm, and will offer him a two-year contract extension until 2026. They are keen to wrap up the deal before 2024, giving them some stability in the final months of the season.

For his part, the report claims that Ancelotti is true to his word, and will prioritise Los Blancos ahead of Brazil. The Italian coach will accept an offer if Real Madrid offer it to him, which is what he told them during the summer. The plan since the summer for the club has been to offer Ancelotti a deal in November or December provided he maintained performances, and with the side top of the league and through to the Round of 16 in the Champions League, expectations have been made.

While Ancelotti did not manage to win La Liga last season or the Champions League, his work with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Eduardo Camavinga persuaded Florentino Perez to continue trusting in him. Carletto’s continuity comes alongside the understanding that signing young stars requires a longer term outlook rather than a win at all costs mindset.

By giving Ancelotti a new contract, Real Madrid will move into uncharted territory since his time at Milan. Ancelotti spent seven years in charge of the Rossoneri, but across his nine other positions, he has never been in charge for three full seasons, let alone more than that. If come June, Real Madrid have not won a major honour in two years though, the pressure will be firmly on.