Why Hiring Jose Mourinho Could Now Cost Real Madrid Five Times More

Los Blancos missed an important date in regards to Mourinho’s current contract.

José Mourinho will be appointed Real Madrid manager if Florentino Pérez is re-elected. | Valter Gouveia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

José Mourinho’s move to Real Madrid could cost as much as €15 million ($17.5 million), after the manager’s contractual buyout clause at Benfica expired.

Mourinho is expected to return to Madrid this summer and is reported to have already signed a deal to replace Álvaro Arbeloa. However, that deal will only come into effect if Florentino Pérez wins this month’s presidential elections.

Polling is set for June 7, with incumbent president Pérez running against the 37-year-old green energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme.

Though Pérez has publicly denied that a deal has already been reached with Mourinho, it is widely reported that the 63-year-old has agreed a three-year contract to return to the Bernabéu.

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Mourinho’s New Price Tag

José Mourinho is still under contract at Benfica. | Valter Gouveia/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

However, with Mourinho still under contract at Benfica, The Athletic reports that it could cost as much as €15 million ($17.5 million) to prise him away from the Lisbon club. The steep figure represents a massive jump from previous reports of Mourinho’s contractual buyout clause touted variously as between €3–6 million ($3.5–7 million).

That clause, however, was only valid for 10 working days following the end of Benfica’s season, expiring on Friday, May 29.

Madrid were ultimately unable to reach an official agreement by that date because of the presidential elections Pérez himself called ahead of schedule and out of the blue on May 12.

While Mourinho is Pérez’s man, Riquelme has publicly stated he intends to go in a different direction if he wins the vote of Real Madrid’s 100,000-strong membership base.

Asked about Mourinho on Spanish radio Cadena SER, Riquelme said: “I think he’s running with the other candidate. He’s a great coach, but I think right now Real Madrid needs a project that delivers results from day one. We need to create something sustainable over time. I don’t think that he’s what’s needed right now.”

Elsewhere, Riquelme has claimed to have already agreed a deal with a different manager.

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When Could Mourinho Be Announced?

José Mourinho managed Real Madrid between 2010–2013. | Elisa Estrada/Real Madrid/Getty Images

If Pérez wins the election as expected on June 7, Mourinho could be announced as Madrid next first-team manager very soon after, with the club likely keen to get everything in place before the World Cup.

The 79-year-old incumbent president has yet to attach Mourinho to his campaign, but the deal is all but official now. The only thing that could derail it is Pérez losing the election.

The Athletic reports that Mourinho is expected to move to Madrid along with his Benfica assistants Joao Tralhao and Pedro Machado, as well as other backroom staff members Roberto Merella, Antonio Dias and Nuno Santos.

While Riquelme has been more vocal about the type of transfers he wants for the first team this summer, Pérez has yet to specifically name the players he will bring in if re-elected. There have been reports, however, that Mourinho would like reinforcements at right back, in central defense and in central midfield.

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