Real Madrid's search for Julen Lopetegui's replacement appears to have taken a surprising left turn.

Related - Sacked in the evening: 5 matches that sealed Lopetegui's fate

With former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte now seemingly out of the running after key Los Merengues players voiced their opposition to his appointment, Florentino Perez and Co. have made Belgium manager Roberto Martinez their leading candidate, according to The Telegraph's James Ducker.

Real have yet to make an official approach for Martinez, according to ESPN's Dermot Corrigan, but Ducker writes the club wants to hold discussions with the Spaniard "at the earliest opportunity." However, Belgium's FA insisted that any agreement must be reached with the federation before the club can make an official approach.

Martinez led Belgium to third place in the World Cup in Russia this summer, the Red Devils' best-ever finish at the tournament, after losing to eventual winner France in the semifinal. He signed a two-year extension with Belgium in May, shortly before the World Cup.

The former Wigan Athletic and Everton boss would be a tremendous gamble for an institution the size of Real. His only honours as a club manager have come in the form of the 2007-08 English League One title with Swansea City and the 2013 FA Cup with Wigan, which he won just three days before the club was relegated from the Premier League.

Lopetegui was sacked this week after the club's 5-1 thrashing at the hands of archrivals Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday. Former Real midfielder Santiago Solari has been placed in temporary charge of the club, but, according to Ducker, Spanish league rules decree that a caretaker can only be in the position for two weeks, thus putting pressure on Perez to appoint a permanent replacement.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.