Report: Juventus eye Zinedine Zidane to replace Andrea Pirlo

Juventus are reportedly eyeing Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane as a replacement for Andrea Pirlo, just a few months after they appointed the Italian to replace Maurizio Sarri.

Sarri was sacked in August after Juventus were knocked out in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League by Lyon. It was a surprise that Pirlo took over, given his lack of managerial experience.

Now, after 10 Serie A games have been played, Juventus are in fourth place, six points behind league leaders AC Milan. They have lacked a cutting edge in attack, even though they are unbeaten in the league so far.

The Bianconeri have racked up five draws in 10 games so far. They have looked a different side when they have been without Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed a few games after testing positive for COVID-19 and then had a minor niggle. Moreover, Juventus have not managed to be a consistent goal threat without the Portuguese superstar.

Now, CalcioMercato are reporting that the Italian giants are monitoring Zidane's situation at Real Madrid, which is also not the happiest of marriages at the moment.

Juventus have qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, which is the trophy that they crave the most at this point. But there are concerns within the club hierarchy over Pirlo's ability to get results in crunch situations on the biggest stage.

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Juventus alert to Zidane situation at Real Madrid

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is under pressure.

Real Madrid have been inconsistent throughout the season and could be in danger of missing out on qualification for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Los Blancos need to win their last group game against Borussia Monchengladbach to qualify for knockout stages.

Real Madrid are six points behind city rivals Atletico Madrid in the LaLiga, while also having played a game more than Diego Simeone's side.

If Real Madrid fail to get the job done at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano on Wednesday night, it is difficult to see how Zidane's position would not be under serious threat.

They have lost twice to Shakhtar Donetsk so far in the group stages and got out of jail in the reverse fixture against Borussia Monchengladbach as well. Los Blancos were 2-0 down, but two late goals enabled them to salvage a point in that match.

Zidane relieved some of the pressure off himself after steering his side to a 1-0 La Liga win over Sevilla over the weekend. But the Champions League game on Wednesday remains the stiffest test right now.

Juventus are sure to be on alert if Zidane does get the sack at Real Madrid.