Carlo Ancelotti has played down suggestions that he will leave Real Madrid in the summer, ruling out a move to Chelsea. Frank Lampard has recently been appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season, while Todd Boehly continues the Blues' search for a new boss.
Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Ancelotti are among those who have been heavily linked with taking the head coach role at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho have also been name checked in relation to the vacancy, but a frontrunner is yet to emerge.
In the meantime, the Real Madrid boss has ruled himself out, insisting that he still has a contract to respect at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ancelotti sees his deal in the Spanish capital expire at the end of next season after returning to the club for a second spell in charge in 2021.
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In an interview with Radio Rai 1, the Italian was quizzed on his future. He said: "There's a nice saying which is just right: the wind carries away the chatter. And that's it, I have a contract until June 30, 2024 and I'd like to respect it."
Ancelotti has cleared up speculation over his future ahead of Chelsea's visit. Los Blancos will welcome Lampard's side to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening for the Champions League quarter-final first-leg.
The Spanish side head into the clash with the Blues off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal. Ancelotti decided to make wholesale changes to his line-up, resting Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde in midfield, as well as Antonio Rudiger, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal in defence.
However, the Italian's risk didn't pay off. Speaking in the post-match press conference, Ancelotti revealed that he will make a number of changes. He said: "In terms of the Champions League, it’s a defeat that doesn’t change our mood for Wednesday’s game, which will be different.
"I may repeat the same eleven from the Camp Nou. I made a lot of rotations today because the game against Barcelona demanded a lot from us physically and mentally."
Ancelotti also commented on the issues he faces when playing with four forwards. He added: "Balance is very important, but sometimes you plan a game so as not to have much balance taking into account the pros and cons.
"We wanted to have an open game, but today it cost us a lot to recover. They put us in balls between the lines and they attacked us from behind. If I put the four forwards [in] it is because I think that balance is not the most important thing. If I think about balance, I would have put a more controlled team in midfield."
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