There is no agreement yet between Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The lowdown

Madrid are on the hunt for a new manager after the departure of Zinedine Zidane.

Ancelotti has already had a spell in the dugout at the Santiago Bernabeu, taking charge between 2013 and 2015.

He didn't manage to win the league title with the Spanish giants, but did lead them to the Champions League and the Copa del Rey in 2013/14 (via Transfermarkt).

They then followed that up with the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup later in the year.

Ancelotti joined Everton on a four-and-a-half-year contract in December 2019 after the sacking of Marco Silva.

The latest

Romano confirmed that Real Madrid are 'in talks' with the Italian and are 'pushing' for his return.

But that's as far as the proposed deal has got for now: "No agreement signed yet as he’s under contract with EFC," he tweeted, ten words which are surely music to the ears of the Toffees faithful. 

Romano also added that a potential alternative to Ancelotti, former Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte, has yet to be directly contacted.

The verdict

It would be an almighty blow if Everton lose Ancelotti. Appointing him was a statement of the club's ambition, and so losing him after so little time would be seen as somewhat of an embarrassment for the club.

Supporters will have to hope that Real Madrid's financial difficulties prevent them from buying out the 61-year-old's contract, with Romano seemingly confirming that his current deal at Goodison could prevent a stumbling block for a possible return to Spain.

Given the fan reaction - Everton News Feed called it 'devastating' - when news broke that Ancelotti could leave the club, perhaps Romano's update can serve to calm the waters.

In other news, fans reacted to this star's omission from his country's Euro 2020 squad.