Florentino Perez is pushing to bring Jose Mourinho back to Real Madrid and wants the Portuguese coach to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who is expected to be dismissed at the end of the season.
Multiple internal sources told reporters that Perez is driving the decision as he seeks to rebuild a project that has fallen into disrepair after Real Madrid looks set to finish a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy such as La Liga, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey.
The case for Mourinho is built on results from his first spell at the club: between 2010 and 2013 he and Perez won three trophies, including the 2011-12 La Liga title secured with a new record points total. The Champions League remained the only major accolade missing from that period, but those three trophies are the clearest evidence Perez points to when arguing Mourinho should return.
Mourinho is not available without friction. He joined Benfica in September and is under contract until June 2027, but his agreement includes a clause worth around €3million that allows either party to break the deal up to 10 days after the final match of this season. That clause leaves a narrow window for Madrid to act if Perez convinces the club to move.
Inside the club there is a split. Perez is the main supporter of bringing Mourinho back, yet other voices within the hierarchy oppose the idea. Those opposed point to Mourinho’s reputation for creating divisions in the dressing room during his previous tenure and to the single missing prize — the Champions League — as a reason to be cautious about a full-scale return.
Arbeloa’s position has been transient. He was appointed in January to replace the sacked Xabi Alonso and is now widely expected to be dismissed when the season ends. That timetable gives Madrid the breathing room to line up candidates; names mentioned internally include Mauricio Pochettino and France coach Didier Deschamps, and club figures have long admired Jurgen Klopp, though Perez’s preference narrows the field.
Mourinho’s recent behaviour will complicate any reunion. This season he attracted criticism for comments after the February 17 Champions League match in Lisbon, when Benfica met Real Madrid and an episode of alleged racial abuse involving Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni dominated headlines. Those remarks, and the fallout, remain fresh in many director-level memories at the Bernabeu.
That history creates a clear trade-off. Perez values Mourinho’s proven ability to win domestic titles and to impose a structure quickly. Opponents inside the club worry a return could reintroduce dressing-room tensions and distract from the steady rebuild some executives prefer. The split is the central friction point between ambition and stability.
The next steps are procedural but decisive. Arbeloa is expected to leave at season’s end, and the €3million exit clause in Mourinho’s Benfica contract gives Madrid a defined window to press for his release. If Perez wins the argument, the club will move quickly to trigger that clause and formalise negotiations; if he loses, Madrid will pursue alternatives internally suggested earlier this year.
Given Perez’s influence and Mourinho’s contractual exit route, the most likely outcome is a renewed push to bring Mourinho back — a high-risk, high-reward move that would signal a rapid attempt to restore silverware but also risk reopening the dressing-room divisions that dogged his last spell.
