Zinedine Zidane, the former manager of Real Madrid, is taking his time to decide and prefers a move to Manchester United over Bayern Munich.

The Frenchman is now the clear favorite to take Thomas Tuchel’s position at the Allianz Arena.

That comes after Bayer Leverkusen’s first pick, Xabi Alonso, declared he would stay for the upcoming season.

Julian Nagelsmann, the second pick, subsequently agreed to a 2026 contract extension with the German national team.

With Zidane out of the picture since departing Real Madrid in 2021, there aren’t many options left in a congested market.

During his first tenure at the Bernabeu, the Frenchman won three straight Champions League trophies. However, because he does not speak German or English, he has previously expressed misgivings about managing outside of France, Spain, or Italy.

However, sources from Spain on Friday stated that Zidane was “one step away” from finalizing a contract to join Bayern this summer, as the Bayern board believes he is the best option still available.

The Frenchman has no interest in the Bundesliga, is not eager to relocate to the area, and speaks German poorly.

Instead, Zidane is closely monitoring Erik ten Hag’s role at Manchester United because he believes the Premier League to be the greatest league in the world and because he speaks English more well.

The United board is putting off making a choice over Ten Hag’s future.

Although the Dutchman still has a year left on his contract, United will not qualify for the Champions League.

On Sunday, United takes on Coventry in the FA Cup semifinals.