Conversations with José Mourinho
Spectacular real comeback is getting closer
May 8, 2026 – 7:32 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
That would be a real coaching hammer: According to consistent media reports, José Mourinho is about to return to Real Madrid.
Álvaro Arbeloa’s days as Real Madrid coach seem numbered. And his possible successor is no stranger to Madrid. According to consistent media reports, José Mourinho is said to be the top candidate for the top Spanish club.
The Portuguese, currently coach of Benfica Lisbon, is said to be not averse, but has set several conditions for his return to Madrid after the first leg between 2010 and 2013. Among other things, he wanted to have a completely free hand in personnel decisions, reported the Spanish trade journal “AS” and other media.
Real boss Florentino Pérez is said to have made an initial offer to his close friend Mourinho via video. Mourinho himself swore last week: “No one from Real Madrid has spoken to me, I can guarantee that.” According to information from the pay-TV channel Sky, this is said to have changed at the beginning of the week. Real representatives and Mourinho management are said to have exchanged ideas and are therefore one step closer to returning.
In order to sign Mourinho, Real Madrid would have to pay a transfer fee to his current employer Benfica Lisbon. As Sky reports, the exit clause in his contract, which runs until 2027, is just under three million euros. However, this can only be drawn in the first ten days after the end of the season. A final decision should therefore be made soon.
In addition to Mourinho, the names traded include the current national coaches Didier Deschamps (France) and Mauricio Pochettino (USA) as well as Jürgen Klopp. At the end of March, Red Bull’s current head of football sharply rejected all speculation about a return to the coaching bench, be it as national coach, coach of Real or a club. “The same idiots wrote it all.”
