MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid president Florentino Perez indicated in an interview published on Monday that Paris Saint-Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti remained his prime target to take over as coach.

The Spanish giants are still searching for a successor to Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese's three-year reign in the Spanish capital came to an end last week.

But PSG have so far refused to allow Ancelotti to speak with Real as the Italian has a year remaining on his contract in France.

"He is a coach that currently has a contract with another club," Perez was quoted

as saying to newspaper Marca on Monday. "If you ask me is Ancelotti a coach that is liked within the club, I would say that everyone knows that on two occasions he was on the brink of becoming the coach of Real Madrid.

"We are talking about a coach that has won two European Cups, he has managed important squads, he is used to the pressure and he knows how to manage it.

"It would be like a curse for him to miss out on becoming Real Madrid coach

for a third time."