Real Madrid race to beat €3m Jose Mourinho deadline
13 May 2026 08:34 BST |
5 min read
Jose Mourinho is poised to accept an offer to become Real Madrid’s next head coach as the Spanish club rush to push the deal through before 26 May.
Alvaro Arbeloa will be sacked as Los Blancos’ boss at the end of the season, with everything falling neatly for Benfica boss Mourinho to replace him.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager may not have the universal support of those associated with the club, but his strong disciplinarian attitude appears to have won the favour of those in charge at the Bernabeu, and it appears a matter of time before he completes his shock return to the Spanish capital.
Mourinho’s €3m Benfica release clause
Real Madrid face a deadline to sign Mourinho. He has a €3 million release clause in his contract at Benfica, AS reports, and in order to secure his services easily, this must be triggered before it expires on 26 May.
Mourinho has rejected the offer of a new contract from Benfica and, according to the Spanish source, “will accept Real Madrid’s offer”.
The 63-year-old has already been given assurances that his two conditions for returning to the club will be met: that he has a say in transfer policy and that the structure of the club is respected in order to avoid the situation that saw Vinicius Junior publicly clash with Xabi Alonso in El Clasico earlier this season.
Mou denies Real Madrid talks
Mourinho denied any talks with Real Madrid when he spoke to the Portuguese media on Sunday.
“They keep talking about Real Madrid, and I keep avoiding it, but avoiding it with complete honesty,” Mourinho said.
“I haven’t had any contact, not with the president nor with any of the important people in the club.
“It’s my own decision – a decision similar to others I’ve made during my career – especially now in the final stages of the season, I don’t talk to anyone.
“I haven’t had any contact with Real Madrid, I haven’t, and I won’t until the last league game against Estoril either.
“Then, there’s a window of about a week where I’ll have the freedom to talk to whomever I think I should talk to, but all the stories that have come out about demands, meetings… it’s all speculation.”
The latest information is that Mourinho’s physical signing with Real Madrid is not imminent, but a deal has fallen into place.
Perez’s Mourinho plan coming together
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, meanwhile, is working behind the scenes to strengthen his position.
Amid speculation that he could call an election in the next couple of days, it is expected he would retain the post unchallenged. This could be confirmed as soon as 24 May – two days before Mourinho’s release clause expires.
There is also the unlikely situation for him to be challenged and lose the election, yet if an agreement without the Portuguese manager had already been made by that point, Real Madrid’s statutes state that the contract would still be valid.
Mourinho’s Real Madrid return, therefore, looks only a matter of time.
Related stories:
Jose Mourinho closing in on Real Madrid return: ‘He’s already in the dressing room’
Real Madrid’s 10 biggest transfer sale mistakes
Transfer Rumours: Valverde pushed to Man Utd as €115m battle explodes into life
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