18 May 2026 14:02 BST |
4 min read
Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid is imminent, with the Portuguese set to turn down a lucrative offer worth €15 million in order to make the move.
While Mourinho has so far denied contact with the Bernabeu side he left in 2013, all the signs are that his return in imminent.
Marca announced on Saturday that a deal is done, while Fabrizio Romano is among a number of other journalists to have since confirmed that the move is a matter of time.
Mourinho had another option on the table besides Real Madrid that he elected to reject.
His current club, Benfica, offered him a new deal that would have seen him handed a new three-year contract worth a total €15m, A Bola reports. This is a slight pay cut compared to his current salary at the Lisbon side.
Real Madrid are only offering Mourinho a two-year deal, and it seems that Benfica were hoping that the guarantee of an additional season might have been enough to see him remain in Portugal.
Benfica, meanwhile, only have the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss tied to a contract that runs until the end of next season. In this deal, there is a clause that allows him to leave before 26 May for €3m – something that Los Blancos will have no problems triggering.
It is yet to be reported what type of wage Mourinho will earn at Real Madrid, and how this will compare to his current earnings with Benfica.
Why is Mourinho going back to Real Madrid?
From Mourinho’s perspective, the attraction of going back to Real Madrid is clear. At 63, he has effectively been written off at the top level. While he has enjoyed stints at Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica in recent seasons, these are not the absolute elite clubs that the Portuguese was associated for the first 15 years of his career in the dugout.
This is his last dance: his final opportunity to prove his critics wrong.
Why would Real Madrid, then, take a chance on a manager who has been written off as washed up?
President Florentino Perez is the driving force behind Mourinho’s shock return to the Bernabeu, with the move coming out of the very particular context that Real Madrid find themselves in.
The Spanish giants are faced with a squad packed with egos that is plagued by infighting. The dressing room has been divided by those who backed Xabi Alonso – led by Kylian Mbappe – and those who did not appreciate the Spaniard, including Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.
Chaos has reigned even before Alonso’s departure at the start of the year and has only become worse during Alvaro Arbeloa’s interim stint.
Mourinho, who has historically been known for his strong man-management and discipline, is being drafted in to sort out the mess. It promises to be one of his greatest challenges in management.
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