How Much Hiring Jose Mourinho Would ‘Cost’ Real Madrid

The Portuguese boss is suddenly the frontrunner to replace Álvaro Arbeloa.

José Mourinho could be in for a return to the Bernabéu. | Valter Gouveia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

If Real Madrid want José Mourinho back on the touchline at the Bernabéu, they can reportedly snag his signature for a reasonable price if they pull the trigger before the end of May.

As Álvaro Arbeloa’s inevitable exit inches closer, Los Blancos are back in the market for a manager—their fourth in two years. Despite the club’s links to Jürgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Didier Deschamps, reports now peg Mourinho as the frontrunner to take over the biggest club in the world, 13 years after he left the Spanish capital in disarray.

“The Special One” is under contract with Benfica until June 2027, but The Athletic reports the agreement includes a €3 million ($3.5 million) break clause, which allows either party to sever the contract up to 10 days after the final match of the 2025–26 season.

If Mourinho is indeed club president Florentino Pérez’s first choice for the job, then his €3 million price tag is a dream for the often frugal Spaniard.

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Is Mourinho Worth the Risk?

José Mourinho would turn Real Madrid upside down. | Maciej Rogowski/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

There’s a romantic charm about bringing Mourinho, one of the biggest characters to ever grace a touchline, back to the Bernabéu, where he helped Real Madrid secure a record 100 points on the way to the 2011–12 La Liga title.

His antics and charisma would no doubt turn Los Blancos back into the biggest show on earth after two seasons of drab, frustrating soccer resulting in zero major honors. Mourinho also brings a win-at-all-costs mentality, something severely lacking from the current crop of stars in the dressing room.

Yet the Portuguese boss’s often incendiary man management style and previous comments regarding Gianluca Prestianni’s alleged racial abuse at Vinicius Junior make him a risky get for Pérez, who could see his vision blow up in his face—not for the first time in recent memory.

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What Happens to Arbeloa After Season’s End?

Álvaro Arbeloa is likely leaving the Bernabéu this summer. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Some would argue it’s unfair Arbeloa will likely lose his job at the end of the season, given the broken team he inherited. Before Real Madrid’s season collapsed, the Spaniard had the club within four points of Barcelona in the La Liga title race and within striking distance of the Champions League semifinals.

Had Eduardo Camavinga not gotten sent off in the second leg of the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid went on to win the tie, the conversation surrounding Arbeloa might sound a lot different. But time and second chances are a luxury only few get in the dugout at the Bernabéu, and failing to win a trophy sealed the former fullback’s fate.

Managing Los Blancos was the first taste of leading a senior team for Arbeloa, who previously worked his way up coaching in La Fábrica. The 43-year-old was appointed as Raúl’s successor at Real Madrid Castilla ahead of this season and managed the club’s brightest up and coming stars before he was hastily asked to replace Xabi Alonso in January.

The obvious next path for Arbeloa is to return to Castilla and get back to developing the future stars of Real Madrid. There is also a reality in which he opts to pursue a position away from the team he also used to play for, to build on his managerial career as opposed to going backward.

But until Real Madrid officially announce their decision to remove Arbeloa from his post, question marks will surround the manager’s next move.

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