MAURICIO POCHETTINO INSISTS Madrid form no part of his thinking at present, but the Tottenham boss will be making a decision on his future after the Champions League final.
The Argentine tactician has emerged as one of the most highly-regarded coaches in Europe.
Having seen his stock rise during a productive spell in England, he is regularly linked with any high-profile posts that become available.
Manchester United and Real Madrid have been mooted as potential landing spots in the recent past, while he is said to be among those figuring on Juventus’ radar as they prepare to part with Massimiliano Allegri.
Pochettino is paying little attention to the speculation, with his focus locked on a European showdown with Liverpool on 1 June.
He does have a big decision approaching, though, with the South American eager to discover if Tottenham’s ambition matches his own before committing to an extended stay.
“I will not make decisions about my future [until] after the final, it is important to know what the club’s future plan is,” Pochettino told El Partidazo de Cope.
“If we want to return to the Champions League final next year and fight with Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title, we need reinforcements.
“City’s goal was to win the Champions League, ours to finish building our stadium.”
Pochettino penned a five-year contract with Spurs in the summer of 2018.
Honouring that agreement remains his intention as things stand, with there no need for him to consider a move elsewhere.
That means the likes of Madrid may have to wait, although the Blancos do already have Zinedine Zidane back at their helm.
There is no void for Pochettino to fill at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he has spoken recently with Madrid president Florentino Perez.
Pochettino added, with Spurs set to take advantage of Real’s facilities ahead of a meeting with Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano home of Atletico Madrid: “Real Madrid? I have no other goals if I am not training Tottenham; football takes you where you deserve.
“Ahead of the final, we will train at Valdebebas and sleep in a nearby hotel.
“I asked Florentino to let us sleep in the sports centre, but he told me that I can only sleep there when I become the coach of Real Madrid.”
Gavan Casey is joined by Ryan Bailey and Andy Dunne to look ahead to Saturday’s Pro14 final, look at whether Joey Carbery’s move has paid off and Jack Conan talks about how his body is holding up.:
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