Zinedine Zidane will return to Real Madrid as manager barely a year after leaving. The Frenchman, who left the club last summer after winning to three successive Champions League titles, will replace Santiago Solari.

Reports in Spain have claimed that, Real’s board of directors will meet with Solari to dismiss the Argentine and rehire Zidane this week.

The Los Blancos saw their season fall apart in the space of a week with successive defeats in the Copa del Rey and La Liga, leaving them 12 points behind rivals Barcelona.

A shocking 4-1 home loss to Ajax  in the Champions League followed, resulting in Real fans staging a protest outside the Bernabeu in which they called for Solari to be sacked and for Jose Mourinho to replace him.

Ex president Ramon Calderon told journalists last week that Mourinho was the first choice to take over and was approached by the club, but Zidane looks set to return.

The enigmatic Zidane was first appointed Real Madrid boss in January 2016 after a spell in charge of the B team, and he became the first coach to win the Champions League in three straight seasons.

Zidane was already the only coach to have claimed back-to-back Champions League titles, but despite his European success he came under pressure for winning only one La Liga title during his two and a half years in charge.

Marca, a Spanish media outlet, have claimed that, Solari has already said goodbye to the first team, with Zidane expected to take his first training session on Tuesday before managing his first game back against Celta Vigo at the Bernabeu on Saturday.