Jose Mourinho leaves his mark at Real Madrid by putting six players up for transfer.
Jose Mourinho has quickly put six Real Madrid players up for transfer after agreeing to return to the club.
Mourinho, who previously spent three years at Real from 2010 to 2013, has signed a contract that runs until 2029. He will leave Benfica after less than a season to come back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The famous Portuguese coach is expected to be officially announced after Real Madrid’s presidential election, where Florentino Perez hopes to win against Enrique Riquelme.
Reports say Perez chose Mourinho to help Real bounce back after a trophyless season. Mourinho is also set to have more control over team transfers and planning. The club is already moving to sign Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries before the World Cup starts.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Mourinho has given his approval for these signings as part of rebuilding the team.
But now, it has come out that Mourinho has already decided which players won’t be part of his plans for the 2026/27 season. Journalist Ramon Alvarez says Mourinho told the board that Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo Goes, and Franco Mastantuono won’t be needed.
Fran Garcia, Raul Asencio, and Dani Ceballos are also likely to leave this summer. Ceballos, a former Arsenal midfielder, seems close to moving with Ajax reportedly interested.
Ruben Martin from AS shared that Mourinho is in charge of Real’s transfer plans, and Perez has agreed to relax his rule against signing older players. Normally, Real focuses on young talent, but bringing in 30-year-old Dumfries is a change from that.
Mourinho really wants to strengthen his squad. Alvarez also said Mourinho asked the club to look into signing Arsenal defender Ricardo Calafiori.
Calafiori, a 24-year-old Italian who joined Arsenal for £33.6 million in 2024, played 36 games last season as Arsenal won their first Premier League title in 22 years and reached the Champions League final.
Mourinho likes Calafiori’s versatility because he can play both left-back and centre-back very well.
Alvarez wrote on X: “Mourinho has asked Real Madrid to explore the option of signing Calafiori. He likes the Italian’s versatility.”