Manchester United have already approached the former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti about taking over at Old Trafford as early as next summer.

Louis Van Gaal’s contract is up in 2017 and the Dutchman has failed to impress so far.

Manchester United are aware that several clubs could be looking for a new manager in the summer and they will have to act now or they could risk losing out on the best candidates.

According to Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri, the Old Trafford outfit have already approached the Premier League winner.

Ancelotti being to linked to the Manchester United job is frankly surprising. The only high profile name linked to the Premier League giants has been Jose Mourinho.

Furthermore, it was expected that Ryan Giggs would take over as the new manager once Louis Van Gaal is done with his rebuilding.

Bringing in Ancelotti would send out a huge statement of intent from Manchester United. Although Giggs’ potential as a manager is still unknown and he could well be the next best thing, it is understandable why anyone would prefer the proven pedigree of Ancelotti.

The Italian is thought to be keen on the job. Despite being linked with Bayern Munich, Ancelotti is keen to return to the Premier League due to a language issue.

Having said that, Tancredi’s report does state that Bayern’s project is fascinating to Ancelotti who might enjoy the organisation and stability at the Allianz Arena like he had at AC Milan.