Zinedine Zidane is reportedly on the brink of resigning as Real Madrid boss after the club's failure to sign Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

Spanish journalist Diego Torres told the Independent: “Not signing Pogba puts Zidane on the brink of resigning.

“Zidane personally promised Pogba he would bring him to Madrid, and now he is left looking bad.

"This has only increased the lack of confidence between Zidane and Florentino [Perez, Madrid club president].

"For Zidane, his project and Pogba are almost the same thing. Nothing that he was promised has really come to pass.

"Zidane returned as a protective shield for Florentino, but he has already fulfilled that political and social mission.”

Zidane only returned to the Bernabeu in March following his surprise resignation in May 2018.

The club turned to the Frenchman after enduring a difficult 2018-19 season under Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari.

But Real's inability to lure Pogba to Spain has left him infuriated with club president Florentino Perez.

Real endured a hugely disappointment pre-season that has raised concerns ahead of the new season.

The club suffered defeats to Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, and also failed to beat Arsenal and Roma.

So despite splashing the cash in the summer - Real spent more than €300 million on players including Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Eder Militao - there is little evidence to suggest the Spanish giants are in for a successful year.

All of which has, of course, raised suspicions surrounding Zidane.

Is he really a great manager or were Real Madrid's triumphs in the Champions League a direct result of Cristiano Ronaldo's influence?

The jury is out on that one.

But with Barcelona adding Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong, and Atletico Madrid putting the Griezmann money to good use by signing Joao Felix, Real are going to be seriously challenged this year.