Antonio Conte seemed destined to be appointed the new manager of Real Madrid this week.
The former Chelsea boss was expected to be installed as early as today, replacing Julen Lopetegui who saw his side thrashed 5-1 by fierce rivals Barcelona in El Clasico yesterday.
But reports from Spain this afternoon suggest that the move may not be as straightforward as first thought, with former Everton and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez being touted as a potential candidate.
Martinez is currently in charge of Belgium but Real Madrid could prove impossible to turn down for the Spaniard who earned much admiration for the way he guided Belgium to the semi-finals of the World Cup in the summer. Last week, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois named Martinez as someone he'd like to see in charge of Real in the future having worked with him at international level. Courtois was said to be shocked that Conte and Jose Mourinho - two managers he has player under in the past, were being talked about as potential candidates for the Real Madrid job.
A Marca report says that Real Madrid Florentino Perez was finding negotiations with Conte more difficult than anticipated. He had hoped to unveil Conte as the new Real manager this week.
Another option could be to appoint Santiago Solari as a short-term manager and negotiate the release of Martínez in time for next season. Solari is likely to be named as an interim coach in any case and will probably stay on as an assistant to the eventual incumbent.