José Mourinho confirmed Saturday that his agent, Jorge Mendes, is in contact with Real Madrid over a potential return as coach of the Spanish giants for next season, but said he has yet to make a decision about his future.
The Benfica boss has emerged as a contender to replace current Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa, with ESPN reporting that he is the leading candidate on a three-man shortlist.
– Arbeloa gives blessing to Mourinho Madrid return
– Porto win Portuguese title as Villas-Boas tops Mourinho
Mourinho stated, however, that he has not received an official offer from the Spanish club. Meanwhile, Benfica have tabled a contract renewal offer to the Portuguese coach, who said that only his agent has seen the offer and that next week will be decisive in determining his future.
“My future should be decided this week,” he told a news conference. “I have a proposal from Benfica. I don’t have a proposal from Real Madrid. At the same time, I was saying that to hide that there is nothing, we cannot do that, there is something, but not with me directly.
“I need time, I need space, I need time to make my decision and this week I think is going to be very important.”
The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United boss, 63, is tied to Benfica until June 2027 but has a clause in his contract that would allow him or the Portuguese club to terminate the deal at the end of this season.
“Benfica is a big club and since the day I arrived I always felt the honor and the responsibility to be working for a club like Benfica. Benfica is big.”
Mourinho previously coached Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning a LaLiga title and a Copa del Rey. Asked if he could say no to Madrid if they made a formal offer, he responded: “If, if, if…”
Mourinho was speaking after Benfica completed the Portuguese Primeira Liga season unbeaten but missed out on a place in the Champions League.
A 3-1 win at Estoril on the final day of the season Saturday confirmed their invincible status after 34 games. However, their 11 draws meant they finished third in the standings, behind champions FC Porto and runners-up Sporting CP.
Portugal gets one direct place in Europe’s premier competition with a second team entering the qualifying rounds.
“The unbeatable thing is a great thing,” Mourinho said. “It’s the first time in my career. Even winning eight championships, I never did it invincible.
“I would change that for the title with two or three defeats, no doubts about that. But it’s something that reflects well. The mentality of the team, the togetherness, the empathy reflects that perfectly.”
Three goals inside 16 minutes helped put Mourinho’s side on the path to victory to wrap up the campaign.
Richard Ríos scored a seventh-minute opener before Alexander Bah and Rafa struck in quick succession to secure three points in in what could be Mourinho’s final match in charge.
Speaking before Saturday’s game, Mourinho insisted that his future would not be determined by whether Benfica made it to next season’s Champions League.
Mourinho took over at Benfica last September, three weeks after he left Fenerbahce following an exit from the Champions League qualifying playoffs — at Benfica.
The Associated Press and ESPN’s Alex Kirkland contributed to this report.
