Rafael Benitez has been linked with a return to Real Madrid.

The Spaniards may well be top of La Liga, but their UEFA Champions League second round exit to Lyon is likely to result in Manuel Pellegrini losing his job in the summer.

And although Internazionale coach Jose Mourinho was thought to be their top target, reports in The Sun claim the top choice replacement would be Liverpool’s Benitez.

The 49-year-old was a youth team player at the Bernabeu, and had coaching roles at the clubs youth and B team’s before leaving in 1995 for Real Valladolid.

Benitez won to La Liga’s titles with Valencia before heading to England with the Reds, where he won the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup a year later.

His failure to mount a serious bid for the Premier League title this year has placed his job in serious doubt, especially as he faces a challenge in even finishing in the top four.

Should his time at Anfield be numbered in the summer, he could well find himself back in Spain with Los Blancos next season, where the pressure would be even higher for him to deliver.

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