Former France international midfielder Claude Makelele has stepped down from his role as head coach at Belgian side KAS Eupen as he reportedly nears replacing Florent Ibenge as breeder of the DR Congo national team after a disappointing 2019 AFCON campaign.

Makelele has been in Kinshasa which is his birth place since last week and is now been mooted to take over Les Leopards as preferred by the country’s FA (FECOFA) president Constant Omary.

Makélélé became head coach of Bastia on 24 May 2014. After less than six months in charge, however, he was sacked on 3 November 2014 following a 1–0 defeat to Guingamp on 1 November, due to his inability to make an impact on the club as coach. Prior to Bastia, Makélélé was an assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain alongside Paul Clement. In January 2016, Monaco appointed Makélélé as technical director.Makélélé joined Clement as his assistant coach at Premier League club Swansea City in January 2017. He then joined Belgian side Eupen as their head coach in November 2017.