End of the Carlo Ancelotti saga? Real Madrid make contract renewal decision amid continued interest from Brazil over 2024 role

The Italian has been strongly linked with the vacant Brazil national team job, to the point where the Brazilian federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues announced that Ancelotti would be in charge for next summer's Copa America campaign. But it appears that Los Blancos'strong first-half of the season has impressed the club's decision makers and a contract extension until the summer of 2025 will be offered to Ancelotti in the coming weeks, according to Spanish newspaper AS.

Real Madrid have racked up an impressive points tally from the opening 18 games of the season, putting clear daylight between themselves and Barcelona with just surprise package Girona able to keep pace at the top. A fair amount of credit is due to Ancelotti who has to cope with long-term injuries to Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and David Alaba, as well as losing Vinicius Jr twice to thigh and hamstring injuries.

A contract renewal is recognition of the stability that Ancelotti provides, but it will be an interesting test of his insistence that he is open to staying in Madrid despite the continued interest from Brazil.

While Madrid under Ancelotti have ticked along nicely, Brazil may have become a less desirable option as they have made a disastrous start to their World Cup qualifying campaign under interim boss Fernando Diniz. Matters hit a new low when Argentina inflicted a third straight defeat on their bitter rivals in November, in a defeat that was Brazil's first-ever World Cup qualifying loss on home soil.

After a welcome Christmas break, the unflappable Italian leads his side into a busy January where there are in action in three different competitions and have the first silverware of the season up for grabs in the Spanish Super Cup. A league fixture against Real Mallorca on January 3 gets the new year started.