Mourinho wants it, Florentino wants it; Special one is leading candidate for Real Madrid bench!
Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 28.04.26. | 17:07
The legendary coach has previously expressed his desire to return to the Royal Club, and now is the opportunity to make it happen
Real Madrid are expected to make a call on their managerial future in the months ahead, and although several names have been circulating, one well-known figure has surged to the front of the queue.
As reported by The Athletic, Jose Mourinho has emerged as Florentino Perez’s leading option to take over next summer—potentially marking a return to the Bernabéu 13 years after his first spell. While there is still some resistance within the club, the experienced Portuguese coach is now viewed as the frontrunner to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who is widely expected to step down. Reports from Record also suggest that Perez is working on setting up a meeting with Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s favoured candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as head coach.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 28, 2026
Multiple sources, speaking anonymously as they did not have permission to comment, have told The Athletic that the decision on who will become Madrid’s next… pic.twitter.com/bsf8VXLT24
Currently tied to Benfica until 2025, Mourinho has avoided committing himself beyond the end of the season. When questioned about his future and whether he would remain in charge for the 2026/27 campaign, he said: “I can’t say. How can I confirm something like that? It doesn’t just depend on me.”
He added, “A manager is part of a club’s structure, just like any other staff member or a journalist in an editorial office. You’re a journalist at A Bola. Can you guarantee you’ll still be there in ten years’ time? Maybe you want to, but you can’t.” His conclusion was blunt: “Of course I can’t guarantee anything.”
The Athletic further notes that Mourinho’s deal includes a €3 million release clause valid until 2027—an amount that would pose no issue for Real Madrid. Although his previous stint at the club (2010–2013), highlighted by the record-breaking LaLiga title in 2012, strengthens his case, he is not the only name under consideration, especially with Arbeloa’s exit yet to be made official.
The Spanish giants have already been turned down by Jurgen Klopp and France’s departing head coach Didier Deschamps. More recently, links have emerged with Argentina’s World Cup-winning manager Lionel Scaloni, as well as Stuttgart’s rising tactician Sebastian Hoeness.
A disappointing, trophy-less campaign appears to be on the horizon for Madrid, following a chaotic season in which Xabi Alonso struggled to manage a star-packed squad featuring Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappe.
After his departure, Castilla boss Arbeloa stepped in temporarily. The team suffered a major upset in the Copa del Rey, crashing out to second-division Albacete (4–3 on aggregate) in the round of 16. In LaLiga, inconsistency has allowed Barcelona to build an 11-point cushion with five games remaining, while their Champions League journey came to an end in the quarter-finals after an intense tie against Bayern Munich.
At the same time, Mourinho’s Benfica side also looks set to end the season without silverware. Despite remaining unbeaten in the league, they sit six points behind FC Porto. Porto also knocked them out of the domestic cup at the quarter-final stage, while their European run was cut short in the Champions League play-offs—ironically, by Real Madrid.