Mourinho says deal with Zidane very close

Posted Wednesday, October 20, 2010 by AFP

Mourinho says deal with Zidane very close
French former football player Zinedine Zidane (R) is seen during the French match L1 Marseille vs Nancy on October 16, 2010 a the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille.

MADRID, Oct 19, 2010 (AFP) - Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said Monday that a deal to bring France legend Zinedine Zidane onto the coaching staff is very near.

"This seems to me to be too big for me to talk about, it's for the chairman to do," he told a news conference.

"When we've made a decision, we will make it known. But I feel that (Zidane) is near to being linked with the professional team."

Zidane "is part of the heritage of football and of Real Madrid. He should, I believe, be tied to football, tied to Real Madrid and he should be happy."

The former France and Real Madrid star, who retired from football in 2006, currently works as an advisor to the club's chairman, Florentino Perez.

Zidane himself said on Saturday that he is going to start working more closely with Mourinho.

"I can confirm to you that I'll be collaborating with him (Mourinho)," Zidane told Europe 1 radio during a football event at Marseille's Stade Velodrome.

"I'm going to work more with him. It suits me because I wanted to be a bit more involved in the structure of the club."