Jose Mourinho is increasingly likely to become the next Real Madrid boss, with work understood to be going on behind the scenes in an effort to make that move happen. Mourinho, who managed Madrid from 2010 to 2013, is currently in charge of Benfica, and the timing of the speculation has sharpened as both clubs move toward decisive moments in their seasons.
On Monday night, Mourinho addressed the speculation directly and said he had not been in contact with the Real Madrid president or anyone important in the club's structure. He said he would not speak to anyone from Real Madrid until Benfica's last league game against Estoril, after which he said there would be a window of about one week when he would have the freedom to talk to whoever he wanted.
"I continue not to talk about Real Madrid, I continue to avoid it, but I avoid it with all honesty," Mourinho said. "I haven't had any contact, neither with the president, nor with any of the important people in the structure." He added that the stories about demands and meetings were speculation.
That speculation has found fuel in the relationship between Mourinho and Florentino Perez, who has stayed close to him since his first spell at the Bernabeu and is believed to want him back as Madrid's next head coach. The backdrop at Madrid is messy, with reports of disorder in recent weeks, including in the dressing room, while Benfica are on course for an unbeaten league campaign and are still fighting Sporting Lisbon for second place and automatic Champions League qualification.
The next move now sits with the calendar as much as the rumors. Mourinho says nothing will happen before Estoril, but once that final league game is done, the one-week opening he described could be enough for the conversation around Madrid to turn from noise into something real.
