Jose Mourinho Real Madrid return gathers pace as major reports point to summer move

The Jose Mourinho Real Madrid return is no longer just a nostalgic rumor. Foot Mercato reports that Mourinho is now the clear favorite to take over at Real Madrid after the season, with the outlet saying the club holds a moral agreement with the Benfica manager and is simply waiting for the campaign to end before making any formal move.

That is a huge claim, and it matters because Real Madrid have not announced any coaching change. The club’s official position is still that Álvaro Arbeloa is the first-team coach after his appointment on Jan. 12, 2026. So this story has to be read for what it is right now: a strong reported push toward Mourinho, not an official confirmation from Madrid.

Jose Mourinho Real Madrid return now looks like the leading scenario

Foot Mercato says Mourinho has moved well ahead of the other names linked with the job, including Jürgen Klopp, Didier Deschamps, Lionel Scaloni, and Unai Emery. The report’s core argument is simple: Real Madrid believe Mourinho is the figure most capable of restoring order inside a fractured environment. AS went in the same direction on May 9, reporting that there is no signed agreement yet but that both sides already understand what the other wants and that the operation is now underway.

That is the strongest part of the reporting. It is not just that Mourinho is admired by Florentino Pérez, which has been true for years. It is that outlets close to the Madrid beat are now framing him as the only truly viable answer to the club’s current chaos. Foot Mercato says that shift has accelerated because Arbeloa’s future has become increasingly uncertain, while AS says Mourinho is now viewed inside the club as the right coach to rebuild balance in a dressing room that has lost it.

Still, there is an important caution flag here. On May 1, Mourinho said publicly that nobody from Real Madrid had spoken to him and stressed that he still had one more year on his Benfica deal. That does not kill the story, especially in football, but it does mean any claim that the deal is fully done goes beyond what Mourinho himself said just days ago.

Why Mourinho appeals to Real Madrid again

The football logic is not difficult to understand. Mourinho is one of the few coaches with enough stature to walk into a damaged Real Madrid dressing room and immediately command the room. Foot Mercato presents exactly that as the main attraction, while AS says Madrid’s leadership now see him as the coach best suited to impose order and reset authority.

There is also the Florentino factor. Foot Mercato says Mourinho remains highly appreciated by Pérez despite the messy end to his first spell in 2013. AS adds that the final step may come down to Mourinho and Pérez reaching the right understanding again about how a second stint would work day to day, which is a meaningful detail because the quality of that relationship would be central to any comeback.

From a Real Madrid perspective, this is not really about sentiment. It is about the belief that Mourinho still represents elite-level control, confrontation when needed, and a very clear chain of command. When a club feels unstable, that profile becomes more attractive than it might in calmer times. That is an inference based on how Foot Mercato and AS describe Madrid’s thinking.

The Benfica situation is what makes the timing realistic

One reason the story has moved so fast is that Mourinho’s Benfica contract appears manageable. Reuters reported when Benfica hired him in September 2025 that he signed through the end of the 2026-27 season, but Benfica also disclosed that both the club and Mourinho could cancel the deal within 10 days of this season’s last game. Record and AS have both tied that exit route to the current Real Madrid speculation, with Record noting a reported €3 million termination figure.

That part matters a lot. A rumored move like this becomes far more believable when the contract mechanics do not look overwhelming. Foot Mercato says Madrid see the clause as affordable, and Record’s reporting supports the idea that a post-season exit window exists. In other words, this is not a fantasy where Madrid would have to force a messy mid-contract battle just to start talks.

There is also a layer of timing and respect in the reporting. Foot Mercato says any official step would wait until Benfica finish the season because the Portuguese side are still playing for a Champions League qualification place. That makes the current noise feel like positioning rather than a public rush.

What this means for Real Madrid

For Madridistas, the biggest takeaway is that this is now a credible coaching story, not just a recycled headline from the past. Real Madrid have not confirmed anything, but the combination of Foot Mercato, AS, and Record reporting points toward a serious push, while Reuters confirms that Mourinho’s Benfica deal contains a structure that could make a summer exit possible.

It also says something about how the club views its own problems. If Mourinho really has become the preferred option, the message is obvious: Madrid believe the next coach has to be more than a tactician. He has to be an authority figure capable of rebuilding order quickly. That is not stated by Real Madrid officially, but it is the clear implication of the reporting around why Mourinho has surged to the front.

This is also the kind of story that naturally opens bigger questions across the site. A Mourinho comeback would affect transfer priorities, dressing-room hierarchy, the roles of senior players, and even the broader identity of the next Real Madrid project. That is why this is more than a manager rumor. It could define the whole direction of the club’s next phase. That is an inference based on Mourinho’s profile and the reporting around why Madrid are considering him.

What happens next

The next step is not an announcement. It is patience. Foot Mercato says the move would only be finalized after the season, and AS says there is still no signed commitment even if the understanding between the sides is advancing. That means the story is hot, but not closed.

For now, the right way to read it is this: the Jose Mourinho Real Madrid return is being reported as increasingly likely, the contractual path appears real, and the club’s need for authority makes the idea easier to understand than it would have seemed a few months ago. But until Real Madrid say otherwise, Mourinho’s return remains a developing story rather than a completed one.

Sources Used:

• Foot Mercato (https://www.footmercato.net/a8169760329668037035-real-madrid-cest-quasiment-fait-pour-le-retour-de-jose-mourinho)
• AS (https://as.com/futbol/primera/mourinho-da-el-primer-paso-para-su-regreso-al-real-madrid-f202605-n/)
• AS (https://as.com/futbol/internacional/mourinho-nadie-del-real-madrid-ha-hablado-conmigo-eso-es-seguro-f202605-n/)
• Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/soccer-benfica-hires-jose-mourinho-manager-2025-09-18/)
• Real Madrid (https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/club/announcements/comunicado-oficial-alvaro-arbeloa-12-01-2026)
• Record (https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-betclic/benfica/detalhe/novela-mourinho-espanhois-falam-de-rescisao-de-3-milhoes-e-tensao-benfica-real-madrid-por-causa-de-carreras)