Just a while back, reliable sources claimed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has identified Jose Mourinho as his favourite candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as manager.
The 63-year-old Portuguese manager, currently in charge of SL Benfica, has a €3 million break clause in his contract which Los Blancos can trigger to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
For a while now, it has been reported that Mourinho is intent on making a return to the Spanish capital club 13 years after he said goodbye.
Direct talks between Perez and Jorge Mendes
In that context, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reports that Perez has been in direct talks with Mourinho’s agent, Jorge Mendes, for days now over a potential return to Real Madrid.
With the Portuguese tactician ‘100% ready’ to return the Santiago Bernabeu, personal terms and the length of the contract are not expected to be an issue at all.
On the same side next season? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
So, as things stand, there appears to be a strong chance that Mourinho might end up getting the reins handed back to him.
Mourinho’s first spell at Real Madrid started in 2010 and came to an end in 2013, with the ‘Special One’ winning one La Liga, one Copa del Rey, and one Spanish Super Cup in that period.
Even though there were some controversial moments during his tenure, none more than the falling out with Iker Casillas, Mourinho has continued to remain a popular figure among the Madridistas over the years.
However, his criticism of Vinicius Jr. during the faceoff between Real Madrid and Benfica earlier this year and his reaction to the alleged racism incident targeted at the Brazilian by one of his current players might affect his stature.
Nonetheless, as things stand, Mourinho seems to be the leading candidate to take over as the next Real Madrid manager.
