Real Madrid supporters did not see it coming -- and yet, according to RMC, Didier Deschamps is well-placed on the shortlist to replace Alvaro Arbeloa at the end of the season.

With his contract with the French Football Federation expiring at the end of the World Cup, Deschamps will leave his post as France national team manager after 14 years. Given the longevity of the relationship between "DD" and Les Bleus, it is hard to imagine what comes next for the former Marseille and AS Monaco coach.

And yet, major European clubs are very interested in bringing him in as early as next summer. His name briefly circulated at Olympique de Marseille -- but that was before learning that Real Madrid was in the picture.

Against all expectations, RMC revealed Friday that Florentino Perez had the current France manager's name in mind to succeed Alvaro Arbeloa at the end of the season.

Deschamps checks several boxes in the eyes of the Madrid hierarchy: a proven track record in big dressing rooms, command of Spanish, an enormous trophy cabinet, and a close relationship with Kylian Mbappe. The 2018 World Cup winner has the shoulders to coach at Madrid, according to some club officials. Lionel Charbonnier, World Cup winner alongside Deschamps in 1998, would not disagree.

For the L'After Foot pundit, there is no doubt that the current France manager is built for a club of this stature.

"You can say what you want about him, you can talk about his style of play, but if there is one guy who knows how to get inside your head, who knows how to manage a dressing room and set it straight, it is Didier Deschamps. He is capable of managing the dressing room of a club like Real Madrid without any problem," the former AJ Auxerre goalkeeper said on RMC.

"With a national team, if a guy gives you trouble, you drop him. At a club, it is different because the player is under contract for four years. But he knows how to handle that too. He knows how to manage players like that," said Charbonnier, fully convinced by Real Madrid's idea of betting on Deschamps.

For now, the France manager simply appears on a shortlist, and it is unclear whether he is among the Casa Blanca's priority choices. This interest is nonetheless generating plenty of talk in Spain, where France's World Cup matches will undoubtedly be watched with great interest to get a first glimpse of what Deschamps could bring to Real Madrid.

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