Zinedine Zidane 'turned down blank cheques' from Man Utd AND Chelsea as ex-Real Madrid boss waits to inherit France post

Marcel Desailly claims Zidane was offered a blank cheque by both Manchester United and Chelsea but that he isn't in it for the money, preferring to wait for the France national team job to come up. Desailly insists Zidane can lead the next generation of French talent to the top of the world game.

Desailly told Oddspedia: "Will Zinedine Zidane be tempted by Saudi Arabia? Well he had a blank cheque on the table from Chelsea and a blank cheque from Manchester United and turned them down – he isn’t in it for the money. He likes to travel and always keeps an eye on the France national team. He’s ready because Didier Deschamps has started the transition. France will be one of the favourites for the World Cup and win or lose it’s not the end of this era for France. There is a squad and a philosophy and Zidane will know how to take that on to rebuild his own team. For another eight years at least France will be at the top level in Europe."

Deschamps will leave his post as France boss at the end of the 2026 World Cup, opening up a vacancy that Zidane is expected to take. He has not been in management since stepping down as Real Madrid boss in 2021.

Zidane turned down an approach from the Saudi Pro League that would have earned him €100m in one year because he has his heart set on France. It is unlikely he will take up another position before the end of next year's World Cup in North America.