It seems as though the reign of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid will come to an end this season, whether he wins La Liga for a second consecutive season or not.

Despite taking the title race to the final day with Madrid rivals Atletico, rumours are rife that Zidane has told the players that he will be leaving the club after the game despite having a year left on his contract.

While Zidane has denied it publicly, it seems as though the club have already made moves to begin their search for a replacement with club legend Raul and former Juventus boss Max Allegri linked to the role.

While Raul would be a highly popular choice, there’s no doubt that the best choice for the job is the five-time Serie A winner and two-time Champions League runner-up.

Allegri has been out of a job for the last two years, after resigning from his role at Juventus following a need for a break. Now fully recharged and raring to go again, the Bernabeu job seems perfect for him.

Los Blancos are in desperate need of a rebuild, with so many of their key players into their mid-thirties already.

Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eden Hazard and Marcelo will all be over 30 next season, while Ramos and Raphael Varane both look like they could leave this summer as the club looks to cut back on their wage bill due to financial cuts.

Allegri has overseen squad overhauls in the past at Juventus and Milan, but maintained an ability to challenge domestically while also staying a threat in Europe too. He has plenty of experience with working with older players, while also being able to adapt tactically depending on his squad to different styles of players.

In a way, he’s quite similar to Zidane tactically. He prefers to keep control in midfield and play a slow-tempo game, while using experienced defenders and technically skilled attacking players to break down defences.

He’s got a good record in the transfer market too, but with the way Madrid work he will likely be given players to work with rather than really get to select his own. But he is the perfect man for the job because of his experience at the top level.

He’s won titles, he’s coached top players and he’s a big name. Bringing in Raul would be a huge gamble that a team with the reputation of Real Madrid at their current point in time can’t afford. We saw at Juventus this season how much Andrea Pirlo has struggled and how Frank Lampard struggled at Chelsea, so Madrid would be wary of bringing a manager in just because of their affiliation with the club.

Zidane is ready to move on, Real Madrid are preparing to move on and Allegri is ready to move in. It’s the start of a new era at the Bernabeu.