Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid future becomes clear after Copa del Rey implosion | OneFootball

Real Madrid could reportedly sack Carlo Ancelotti as soon as next week after Saturday's Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona, with the Brazil men's national team increasingly confident of securing the Italian's services.

Ancelotti's substitutions inspired a marked shift in momentum during the showpiece fixture. Kylian Mbappe emerged off the bench to score the equalising goal while it was a corner delivered by fellow sub Arda Guler which Aurelien Tchouameni headed in to put Madrid 2-1 up in the second half. But despite Ancelotti's best efforts, Barcelona ultimately rallied to win 3-2 after extra time.

Much of the immediate fallout has concerned the Catalans' jubilant celebrations and the three Madrid players sent off in the closing stages of the final. Antonio Rudiger, inparticular, is thought to be at risk of a potentially season-ending ban.

Yet, Ancelotti is not expected to escape the defeat unscathed. Reports in the immediate aftermath of Madrid's Champions League exit to Arsenal suggested that the club would change their head coach after the Copa del Rey regardless of the result. Following a chaotic 3-2 reverse, Sky Sports News claim that Ancelotti could be gone before Madrid host Celta Vigo in La Liga next Sunday.

The same publication reports that the Brazilian federation are "very close" to agreeing a deal to appoint Ancelotti as the national team's manager. Fabrizio Romano underscores this stance, claiming that the CBF are "very confident" of tying the 65-year-old down to a contract which will see him start before this summer's Club World Cup.

Real Madrid are thought to be prioritising Xabi Alonso as their first-choice candidate. The Bayer Leverkusen head coach would ideally take over before FIFA's expanded tournament kicks off in June, although breaking his contract at the Bundesliga club won't be cheap. Santiago Solari has been floated as a potential interim option for Madrid if they need to find a stop-gap between Ancelotti and Alonso.

Ancelotti, as ever, would not be drawn on his future after Saturday's final. "This will be an issue for the coming weeks, not today," he sighed. If recent reports are to be believed, his tenure may be down to its final days, rather than weeks.