Real Madrid: Lopetegui pay-off worth six months of contract
In the wake of Sunday's Clásico thrashing, Julen Lopetegui was sacked by Real Madrid this week after just 139 days in charge.
Julen Lopetegui is set to be handed a three-million-euro pay-off by Real Madrid after being sacked as the European champions' head coach this week. It is understood that he is to be paid six months of the 18-million-euro, three-year deal he signed when appointed by the LaLiga giants in the summer.
Smooth talks over Lopetegui exit despite club's parting shot
Lopetegui was dismissed on Monday in the wake of Madrid's weekend thrashing by Barcelona, with the club's board criticising him in a statement for the "large disparity between the quality within the Real Madrid squad, which boasts eight nominees for the next Ballon d'Or award [...] and the team's results to date."
However, despite the strongly-worded announcement of his sacking, talks over the terms of Lopetegui's departure are thought to have been smooth and cordial.
Read also: Solari's to-do list as Real Madrid caretaker
Real Madrid's fifth mid-season coaching departure under Pérez
The termination of Lopetegui's contract brought an end to a tenure that lasted just 139 days, having begun in controversial circumstances when Madrid confirmed the then-Spain coach's appointment just three days before the World Cup in June, leading Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales to fire the 52-year-old.
Lopetegui's sacking 14 games into the campaign is the fifth time that club president Florentino Pérez has had to replace his coach mid-season, following José Antonio Camacho's resignation in September 2004, and the dismissals of Mariano García Remón (December 2004), Vanderlei Luxemburgo (December 2005) and Rafael Benítez (January 2016).
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