Real Madrid are in talks over the possibility of appointing Jose Mourinho as their next head coach.
that Mourinho was president Florentino Perez’s favoured candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who was promoted from the club’s reserve team in January.
Madrid have also considered other candidates, including United States manager Mauricio Pochettino, while ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and current AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri are also admired. France coach Didier Deschamps has also been mentioned internally as a possible option.
However, there is no indication Madrid have advanced their interest in any of those names to the extent they now have with Mourinho.
Talks are ongoing with agent Jorge Mendes working on Mourinho’s behalf, with the 63-year-old’s initial position outlined as Perez ponders his decision.
There is no suggestion at this stage of club-to-club negotiations between Madrid and Benfica and any agreement would require a release fee in the region of €3million (£2.6m; $3.5m) being paid. Mourinho’s contract with the Portuguese club runs until June 2027, but it has a clause allowing him to leave within 10 days of the end of their season if that sum is met.
While the former Chelsea and Manchester United coach is happy in Portugal, where Benfica are keen to retain him on fresh terms, he is understandably open to the possibility of a return to a place he holds in the highest regard.
Klopp has long been admired at Madrid, but the German has several times insisted, publicly and in private, that he is happy in his role as Red Bull’s global head of soccer, a position he took up in January 2025.
Pochettino, meanwhile, said in early April that he would be open to staying on as USMNT coach after the World Cup — and that he had not held any talks with Madrid.
Multiple sources have told The Athletic that the decision on who will become Madrid’s next coach is being driven by Perez.
That is in contrast to the hiring of Xabi Alonso to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season, a process which was led by Madrid’s general manager Jose Angel Sanchez, but finally approved by Perez.
Madrid’s 79-year-old president wants to rebuild a project that has fallen into disrepair, with the club set to end a second consecutive campaign without winning a major trophy such as La Liga, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey.
Mourinho has been at Benfica since September, after being sacked by Fenerbahce last summer.
He won three trophies in his previous three-year stint at Madrid, leading the side to a the 2011-12 La Liga title by setting a new record points total alongside triumphs in the Copa del Rey (2011) and Supercopa de Espana (2013).
