Zidane keen to bring in Juventus Director of Sport - reports

Zinedine Zidane is already thinking about next season and is keen to bring in a Director of Sport - a position which has been vacant since 2014 when Miguel Pardeza was relieved from the post. According to Mediaset, Zidane wants to hire Juventus' Director of Sport Fabio Paratici, to do the same job at Real Madrid. The Madrid coach has a lot of friends in Turin dating back to his playing days and has received glowing reports about Paratici, who joined Juventus' backroom staff in 2010 from Sampdoria. The 43-year-old has a knack for spotting talent in the making and preempting moves for players by Europe's top clubs when on the lookout for promising stars.

In 2012, he proposed the signing of Paul Pogba, then struggling to break into the first team at Manchester United. Acquiring his formation rights cost just one million euros. Now half of Europe are scrapping it out for his signature... He was also the one who pushed hardest to sign Álvaro Morata. The Real Madrid youth team graduate arrived in Turin almost as an intern but now Madrid want to buy him back for 30 million euros to make a proift by selling him on  (Arsenal and PSG are willing to spalsh out 60 million for him). It was also his idea to take a gamble on Kingsley Coman, who has blossomed during his loan stint at Bayern...

According to Mediaset, Madrid is collating information about Paratici's work situation in Italy now that Florentino is seriously considering trying to tempt him to come and work in the Spanish capital. Arrigo Sacchi, and who were once close to the late Ernesto Bronzetti, one of Florentino's contacts in Italy, have also been consulted. It has been almost two years since anyone occupied the Director of Sport/Technical Secretary role - during that time, Florentino, who eliminated the position, has been doing the job himself.

Despite reaching the Champions League final, the general consensus is that the present squad is unbalanced. Madrid have a surplus of attacking midfielders and not enough defensive midfielders. The only holding midfielder on the books is Casemiro - Kroos, Modric, Isco, James and Kovacic are all attack-minded midfielders, who have been adapted to the favoured 4-3-3 system which allows Bale, Benzema and Cristiano to lead the front line.

A lack of a Director of Sport does have its drawbacks - it was the reason why Madrid bought Asier Illarramendi for 40 million only to sell him back to his old club for 20. It's also the reason why there is no natural substuitute for Marcelo when he gets injured or suspended. 

Serie A champions Juventus won't willingly let Paratici leave. The Vecchia Signora have bounced back to return to become a dominant force in Italy. The issue of Paratici and the Director of Sport post at Madrid will be dealt with after the Champions League final in Milan.