The Rafa Benitez era at Napoli is coming to an end, but where the Spanish manager ends up next season is very much up for grabs. Rafa’s contract with the Partenopei is up at the end of the season and nobody expects him to renew it after two years at the Stadio San Paolo.
Benitez will be one of the top managers on the market this summer, along with Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti, and his agent is busy handling inquiries from several teams.
One rumor was that Benitez had reached an agreement in principle with West Ham United for next season, but apparently after sleeping on it, Rafa changed his mind when he realized that bigger clubs were interested in his services.
According to Italian football journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Liverpool have reached out to their former manager, who is still held in high regard buy the Kop due to his Champions League win in 2005.
The future of current Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is up in the air, and his future might be determined by results on the final day of the season. Liverpool go into the last weekend fifth in the table, but they could finish as low as seventh depending on results on the final day. A fifth place finish could see Rodgers return next season, but a seventh place finish might be too much for him to overcome.
While Rafa has a sentimental link with Liverpool, it appears it will be difficult for him to turn down the lure of returning to Real Madrid. Rafa started his managerial career at Real Madrid in 1993 where he managed the club’s U-19s winning the league and two cups in his two years in charge,
Reportedly, Real want Benitez to take over from Ancelotti and negotiation’s are said to be filly advanced. Rafa, who had been linked with the Bernabeu bench in the past, has the best CV of any manager available this summer, winning a European Cup, 2 Europa Leagues, 2 La Liga Titles as well as the cup in England and Italy.
Where do you think Rafa will end up next year? Will he be at the Bernabéu or Anfield?
