Real Madrid has had a disappointing season and as a result, Carlo Ancelotti is expected to lose his job in the summer. His replacement has already been drawn up and in addition to any last-minute setbacks, the process of handing over the baton must be relatively smooth.
This week has been many developments in the situation of Ancelotti. A move to Brazil, which was taken for granted, looked like breaking down, but now it's back on track. Real Madrid President Florentino Perez will not make it difficult for that deal to be done, but there are question marks when he will leave the Santiago Bernabeu – it could be before or after the club's World Cup.
And the man who will almost certainly replace Ancelotti is Xabi Alonso, who has been on Real Madrid's Radar for more than 12 months. The Spaniard really wants to go back to the club where he was during his match days, and according to Relo Bayer Leverkusen will not stand in the way of him.
Leverkusen are very aware of the situation, and as a gesture of appreciation for the work that Alonso did during the soon Bundesliga champions, they will make it easy for him to leave. And they expect it to happen, that's why they are already looking for his replacement – at this stage one of their candidates is a former head coach of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag.
It seems inevitable that Alonso will take over from Ancelotti in the summer, and that will mark the start of a new era for Real Madrid. It will be very interesting to see how they will stand in line next season, given the different tactical styles between the two managers. And changing the guard can also lead to increased transfer activity at the Bernabeu.