Jose Mourinho has been asked by president Florentino Perez to return to Real Madrid, but the veteran Portuguese manager still has one year left on his contract with Benfica.
Jose Mourinho has been asked by Florentino Perez to return to Real Madrid (Image: Rodrigo Moreira/Getty Images)
Manager Jose Mourinho insists he has not been in contact with Real Madrid amid speculation that Florentino Perez wants to return to the club this summer. Real are expected to replace Alvaro Arbeloa at the end of the season, with Mourinho also one of the candidates they are considering.
The Spanish giants sacked Xabi Alonso midway through the campaign and promoted Arbeloa as Under-21 manager. However, things did not go as planned, with rivals Barcelona leading La Liga by 11 points, while Real were eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Mourinho only joined Benfica in September and has a contract with the Portuguese side until June 2027. However, there is a release clause in the contract that can be triggered by the club or Mourinho himself at the end of this season.
Real big man Perez is a fan of Mourinho and wants him back. However, speaking to reporters on Friday, the 63-year-old flatly denied the speculation.
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“No one from Real Madrid has spoken to me, I can guarantee you that,” Mourinho said. “I’ve been in football for many years and I’m used to things like this… But there’s nothing from Real Madrid. I have one more year of my contract with Benfica, that’s it.”
Mourinho won La Liga with Real in 2012 and also won the Copa del Rey during his three-year spell from 2010. But his aggressive coaching style led to an acrimonious departure, and it remains to be seen whether Perez will win the power struggle to become the next manager.
Change is inevitable as Real end the season without winning a major trophy for the second year in a row. However, this is not the case with Mourinho’s return. One reason is that Portugal is paying attention to its work as it will co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Florentino Perez is the man behind the interest in Jose Mourinho (Image: Getty Images)
Benfica remain unbeaten in the league this season, but are still seven points behind rivals Porto. Mourinho hopes to finish the domestic season unbeaten and secure automatic qualification to next season’s Champions League with a second-place finish.
Real Madrid and Mourinho are in no hurry to make their next move right away. If he returns, Mourinho will follow in the footsteps of Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to Real in 2021, six years after leaving the club.
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