Ancelotti rules out Chelsea return ahead of Champions League clash

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out a potential return to Chelsea ahead of his side’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash with the Blues.

Chelsea are currently scouring the market for a long-term replacement for former boss Graham Potter, who was relieved of his duties just seven months into his five-year deal.

They have shortlisted several managers, with Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique reportedly leading the race for the vacant job.

Ancelotti has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Santiago Bernabeu this summer despite having a contract that runs until the end of next season, prompting suggestions that he could return to west London.

However, the 63-year-old, who won the Premier League, FA Cup and the Community Shield with the Blues during his two-year stay at the club, has shut down any notion of a potential Stamford Bridge return.

“I’m sad – yes [about the state of the club],” Ancelotti told Sky Sports. “I have a fantastic memory of this club, of the people that are still working there.

“I am a supporter of Chelsea of course because I spent two really nice years there. Go back? No. I hope that [Frank] Lampard is able to do a fantastic job with them.”

Ancelotti’s side will welcome Chelsea to the Bernabeu on Wednesday night for the first encounter of their Champions League clash, with both sides eyeing a European triumph.

Lampard, who managed Chelsea between 2019 and 2021, has returned to the Bridge to help salvage an abysmal campaign.

However, the Blues legend did not have the best second debut as his side fell to a 1-0 defeat to relegation-battling Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux last weekend.

The stakes cannot be higher for their midweek contest, but Lampard is no stranger to pulling off the impossible after winning the Champions League with Chelsea during his playing days.

The 44-year-old acknowledged his side did not do enough to win against Wolves and will hope the Blues can turn it up a notch in what will be their biggest game of the season.