Real Madrid set to pay a record fee to Benfica as news about Jose Mourinho deal comes out
Real Madrid is set to pay a record fee to Benfica to bring back Jose Mourinho as their new manager, the club has announced.
On Tuesday, Los Blancos shared that their current coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, had left after only five months in charge. There were reports of disagreements with some key players, and Real didn’t win any trophies last season.
Mourinho will have a stronger role than Arbeloa, giving him more control over things like player transfers and other important decisions. Reports say he gave club president Florentino Perez a list of 10 requests during their first talks.
Perez had promised to hire Mourinho during his recent presidential campaign, and after winning the election on Sunday with 65% of the vote, he’s ready to make it happen. This will be Mourinho’s second time managing Real Madrid.
After his re-election, Perez said, “We’re proud of the Santiago Bernabeu, the best stadium in the world, and proud to welcome back one of the best coaches out there, a true madridista like Mourinho. We will keep working hard to win titles and fight for our sixteenth European Cup. Let’s stay united, all driven by our love for Real Madrid. I will also listen carefully to those who didn’t vote for me.”
Benfica confirmed that Real Madrid has contacted them about paying Mourinho’s release clause. The fee will be €15 million—a record for Real Madrid and one of the highest ever paid by any club.
For comparison, Bayern paid the world record fee for Julian Nagelsmann, and Chelsea spent big to hire Graham Potter and Andre Villas-Boas under different owners.
In a statement, Benfica said, “Benfica SAD has informed the Portugal Securities Market Commission that Real Madrid CF has officially expressed their intention to hire Jose Mourinho for 15 million euros, with the coach’s agreement.”
Mourinho is expected to be introduced as the new Real Madrid manager later this week.