Real Madrid make official contact with Mauricio Pochettino

It's taken just a few hours for Real Madrid to begin looking for a successor to the departing Zinedine Zidane.

Zidane shocked the world on Thursday afternoon by revealing his decision to step down from his role as Real Madrid manager, sparking speculation about who would replace the Frenchman who had just secured his third consecutive Champions League triumph. Arsene Wenger emerged as an early favourite, having left his post as long-time Arsenal boss just last week, while the likes of Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and former Real midfielder Guti also remained in contention. However it's quickly become clear that Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is the La Liga club's top target and Real have already made contact with the Argentine. MARCA report that early talks have taken place and while Spurs hastened to make clear that Pochettino has no buyout clause in his newly-signed contract, few clubs have deeper pockets than Real Madrid. If president Florentino Perez is determined to get his man then perhaps he will be able to come up with an offer that will tempt Spurs to part ways with the manager who guided them to three consecutive top three finishes in the Premier League. Only last week, Pochettino signed a five-year contract with the North London club but in football, money talks and everybody has a price. The Real Madrid job is one that most managers consider a once in a lifetime opportunity so the next few days will be very interesting indeed as Los Blancos want an answer from Pochettino sooner rather than later.