EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United approach former Chelsea boss

The news that will rock the order of football world. Manchester United have contacted Carlo Ancelotti in the last few days regarding the managerial role from next season. Such deals take a long time to happen, but as we explain in this piece the situation at the moment is not favourable for United. However, if the club decided to go for such a move then it means that some important decisions have been taken with regards to their future, whatever happens with the Italian manager. 

THE OLD RIVAL(S) - The contact has occurred in the very last days. The timing is not a coincidence. Van Gaal’s future has nothing to do with this. It is already understood that the Dutch manager has been hired only for the term of his deal - 3 years. Apparently United are happy with the contribution of Van Gaal, but already looking around for his replacement in order to guarantee the appointment of an extremely high profile manager. To sum it up: to avoid another Moyes. For this reason, there aren't really many options around. However, if Van Gaal did stay until the end of his contract in 2017, there might be even less valuable options than those available now. In fact next summer is the one where a managerial earthquake could happen across Europe, and for this reason at United they have realised they might be compelled to rush their choice in order to secure the option they are looking for. Strangely enough, this strategy has been set after the moves of two archrivals of United, in history and in transfers.

KING CARLO - Pep Guardiola's move to Manchester City is something that has been discussed since last July. Bayern Munich were confident of announcing the extension of his contract at the board meeting on November 27, then suddenly Rummenigge said about Guardiola: "Nobody is irreplaceable". For this reason, after realising that the hopes of seeing Guardiola stay in Bavaria are diminishing dramatically, Bayern have decided to go for the only available option of the same calibre: Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian has already had several discussions with Bayern, though no agreement has been reached, but the talks are reaching an advanced stage, when figures begin to be thrown on the table. However, Ancelotti himself has said in the past that he would be extremely keen to return to the Premier League. 

THE L FACTOR - L was for Liverpool, when their offer was rejected by Ancelotti. L was again for Liverpool, as Klopp was one of the managers monitored by United. But the key L factor in this instance is language: Ancelotti at the moment might prefer the Premier League over the Bundesliga because of the language barrier. Manchester United have realised that they had to make contact with Carlo right now, as the things with Bayern are developing quickly. At the moment though, Ancelotti is pretty fascinated by the Bayern project, as it is rich, articulated and offers the stability he had at Milan. But the things are in progress. Manchester United contacting Ancelotti means that the club wants to check first if he will be willing to choose them over their competitors.