It is taken for granted that Real Madrid will appoint Jose Mourinho as their next manager, with a deal already in place for him to succeed Alvaro Arbeloa. However, plans to confirm his return to the Bernabeu 13 years after his first spell will need to be postponed for the time being.
Mourinho’s return is eagerly anticipated by those within Real Madrid, with there being a strong belief that he is the perfect man to turn things around after two difficult seasons. Florentino Perez moved quickly to agree a contract with him once it became clear that Arbeloa would not be kept on, and according to Record (via Sport), the plan has been for the Portuguese to be announced on Monday.
However, this is in doubt due to the now-confirmed presidential election that will be taking place soon. Perez will be up against Enrique Riquelme after his candidacy was confirmed over the weekend, and this has led to the Mourinho deal being temporarily shelved.
The reason that Monday has been circled in red by Real Madrid is the release clause in Mourinho’s Benfica contract, which is valued at €6m, expires on Monday. If it is not activated before Tuesday comes around, the Portuguese giants would be entitled to demand a higher fee, which makes things more difficult for Los Blancos.
Riquelme victory would throw Mourinho return into doubt
Perez has been the driving force behind Mourinho’s impending return to Real Madrid, so if he were to lose the presidency, there is every chance that a deal collapses. Riquelme would have his own ideas for the head coach position, and it is unclear whether he’d be in favour of The Special One making a triumphant return.
For now, Real Madrid must hold fire on Mourinho, which is not idea for both him and the club. They’ll hope that a resolution is found sooner rather than later, but that may not be the case.
