Reports: Former Premier League manager turns down Real Madrid offer

What's the rumour?

According to AS, Michael Laudrup has turned down a chance to replace Julen Lopetegui at Real Madrid. The news was confirmed by his agent Bryam Tutumlu.

If the aforementioned report is to be believed, Laudrup found Real Madrid's proposal unconvincing and believes this is not the right moment to take up such a huge responsibility.

In case you didn't know...

Julen Lopetegui was given the sack by Real Madrid following their 5-1 hammering against Barcelona on Sunday. Santiago Solari, the Madrid Castilla coach, has been appointed in place of him as Real Madrid's interim manager as the search goes on for a new manager.

The heart of the matter

Bryam Tutumlu spoke to AS to make Laudrup's stance clear:

Laudrup is not looking for an opportunity to coach Madrid, rather a more ideal situation to undertake such a post. Bearing in mind how things have been going at Madrid, now's not the right moment. He doesn't want to return to the club regardless of the circumstances.

A source close to Laudrup also informed the publication that the former Real Madrid midfielder considers what is happening on the field for Los Blancos a disaster.

Laudrup is presently out of work since his contract with Qatari team Al Rayyan ended. He has also previously played for Real on 64 occasions between 1994-96. The 54-year-old even boasts the honour of becoming the first Dane to manage in the Premier League when he joined Swansea City back in 2012.

Rumour probability: 9/10

AS is a pretty decent source when it comes to football transfer news, particularly those related to Madrid clubs. Besides, many other reliable news outlets have reported the same.

What's next?

As it stands, Solari will be managing Real Madrid for the next few weeks while Florentino Perez continues his hunt for Julen Lopetegui successor. So far, the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho have all been linked with the vacant post.