Carlo Ancelotti to leave Real Madrid after Champions League defeat to Arsenal

Carlo Ancelotti will leave Real Madrid after the Copa Del Rey final on April 26, in the wake of the Spanish giants' exit to Arsenal.

Holders Real lost 2-1 to the Gunners on Wednesday night , and by admitting he could be about to depart.

When asked if he could leave, Ancelotti said: "It could be this year, next year when my contract runs out. There's no problem about it.

"But when I am done here, I will be grateful to this club. It could be tomorrow, in one year, or in 10 years, but I will be grateful to this club. And that's it. Full stop.

"We have done very well in the last seasons but this year we have had to suffer. Things haven't gone as expected but in sport in happen because there are no unbeatable teams."

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now report that Ancelotti will step down as Real boss after next Sunday's Copa Del Rey final against old foes , who currently lead the table by four points from Clasico rivals Madrid. The final in Seville comes after La Liga matches at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and away at Getafe next Wednesday.

Brazil are hopeful of appointing the former , AC Milan, , Paris Saint-Germain, , Napoli and boss, with negotiations now expected to ramp up.

Reflecting on the defeat to the Gunners, Ancelotti said: " were better than us. We tried to do our best. Maybe the overturned penalty (when was initially penalised for a foul on Kylian Mbappe) was a turning point. That could have changed it.

"But Arsenal defended very well. We found it difficult to find spaces. We were better than normal in our intensity level but it wasn't enough."

Five-time Champions League winner Ancelotti is in his second spell at , having previously led them to Champions League and Copa Del Rey glory in his first spell in charge between 2013 and 2015.

Ancelotti's five Champions League successes are a record for a manager, and he is the only manager to take part in six Champions League finals and win titles in all of Europe's top five leagues - England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.

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