Zinedine Zidane has fuelled speculation regarding a possible move for Kylian Mbappe from Real Madrid, with the Blancos boss admitting he “would love” to work with a fellow Frenchman.
A mercurial talent currently on the books at Paris Saint-Germain has been linked with a switch to Santiago Bernabeu for some time.
It was revealed that Madrid were in the market for Mbappe prior to an initial loan agreement being put in place which took him from Monaco to PSG in 2017.
Interest has been maintained since then, with a 20-year-old frontman now a World Cup winner and one of the finest players on the planet.
Such talent is always of obvious appeal to the ‘Galactico’ model in Madrid and Zidane concedes that he would welcome the chance to coach a countryman with plenty of potential to still unlock.
Quizzed on whether he is looking to land one of two superstar forwards at PSG, a man back in the Spanish capital for a second spell at the helm said: “Neymar or Mbappe? I'm not going to talk about players who are not mine.
“I would love to coach Mbappe, as all the good players. But this is not the moment to talk about that.”
Zidane has plenty of questions to answer regarding supposed star turns already on his books.
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Among those generating unwelcome gossip at present is Wales international Gareth Bale.
The former Tottenham forward is being heavily linked with a Premier League return , but Zidane is reluctant to be drawn into another debate when it comes to the 29-year-old.
Bale has faced criticism of his form this season but a coach who has enjoyed success alongside the Welshman in the past has said: “I'm not going to speak about Bale's season up to this point.
“There are 11 matches left to play and I'm going to count on him.
“I'm going to repeat myself a lot here, but Gareth is ready to play.”
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Another of those hoping to enjoy a reversal in fortune under the guidance of Zidane is Isco.
The talented playmaker fell out of favour under Santiago Solari but will be given every chance to prove his worth with a new regime at the helm.
Zidane added on the 26-year-old playmaker: “Isco just wants to play football, nothing else.
“We're here just to think about football.
“I'm going to count on Isco, as well as other players, the important thing is that I make each player feel very involved.”
Zidane’s first game back with the Blancos is set to see his side play host to struggling Celta Vigo on Saturday.