Romano: Mourinho eager to return to Real Madrid, pending approval from Pérez

Romano's latest news indicates that operations related to José Mourinho's return to Real Madrid have been initiated. Mourinho himself is very willing to return and considers Real Madrid as his priority choice. Currently, contact has been made between Mourinho, Real Madrid, and agent Mendes, but whether it will ultimately proceed depends on Florentino's approval.

The following content is the latest news from the Romano podcast.

Let's first update the situation of Real Madrid. Regarding Arbeloa, regarding José Mourinho, I think you have seen all the current situations in this channel. I have been telling everyone a long time ago that José Mourinho was ready in the past and is still ready to join Real Madrid now. He really wants to go to Real Madrid and is very attracted to the possibility of returning to Real Madrid.

The update I can bring to you today is an important piece of news about José Mourinho.  According to my sources, the Mourinho line has been launched. José Mourinho, Real Madrid, and Mendes, who represents Mourinho, have begun to make contact. So the matter between Mourinho and Real Madrid has entered the promotion stage.

I can 100% confirm what I have been telling everyone. Mourinho very much wants to be the next coach of Real Madrid. He is ready to return to Real Madrid, and Benfica also knows about this situation.  This is very important because Mourinho still has a contract with Benfica,  but there is a clause in the contract, about 6 million euros before tax, 3 million euros after tax, that allows Mourinho to leave the club from now, that is, from the end of the season to the end of May. So this clause is a very important point.

Another important point is that the relationship between Benfica and Real Madrid is very good. Then there is Mourinho himself. Mourinho really wants this opportunity. He is very open to this opportunity and is ready. Of course, I know that this matter has become a topic in Spain in recent days. Of course, Mourinho wants to talk about strategy, plans, budget, and everything else before saying that the contract has been finalized. But in terms of financial conditions, contract years, and whether he is willing to accept this opportunity, Mourinho is ready.

Mourinho wants to go to Real Madrid, there is no doubt about that. So Mourinho is definitely ready to become the next coach of Real Madrid.  What is needed now is for Florentino to press the button and give the green light, because the only person who can decide whether this matter is finally completed is the chairman Florentino.

This summer, the situation of Real Madrid is very complicated, and the major decision regarding the coach depends on Florentino. So the chairman wants to make a decision according to his own judgment. Although he had a dialogue with Mendes a few weeks ago, and now there has been more specific contact with Mourinho, this is not inconsistent with what Mourinho publicly said. Mourinho is probably one of the best coaches in history in terms of communication, or perhaps even the best. He has always been very good at handling the media, questions, and all these situations. So I will put aside what Mourinho said at the press conference, because that is also part of the game.

But the reality behind the scenes is that contact is ongoing and this matter is being promoted. Now it depends on whether Florentino wants to continue to promote it.  Benfica also believes that Mourinho's situation is completely open. So if they ultimately cannot keep Mourinho, Benfica will also open the door to appointing other coaches.

So everyone should pay attention to this situation, because there is indeed action on Mourinho's side. Mourinho is ready. Before the final green light is obtained, the two sides will continue to discuss the details of the appointment, but Mourinho is still a very strong candidate. Mourinho is also still very willing to take on this job. Although he has also been linked to English clubs, Mourinho is now absolutely completely prioritizing Real Madrid.

According to sources close to Mourinho, Mourinho believes that he still has unfinished business at Real Madrid. He has done well at Real Madrid before, but he believes that if he can start a second coaching experience at Real Madrid in the future, he can do even more.  So now it depends on Florentino's decision, but the Mourinho line has been launched. Next, we will continue to look at the follow-up development. However, this matter is already being promoted, and Benfica is also waiting for new developments.

So what does that mean? I think that, overall, everything that has happened behind the scenes at Real Madrid in recent days, including these problems in the dressing room, these tensions in the dressing room, and not just in recent days, I would say that it has been like this in recent months, all indicate that Real Madrid's current situation needs to change. Florentino is very certain of this. So the possibility of Arbeloa continuing to stay at Real Madrid, I would now say is less than 5%. I still reserve a 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% possibility, because in the world of football, you should never say absolutely impossible. But from the feeling inside Real Madrid and the internal decisions, Álvaro Arbeloa is expected to lose his job this summer, and he is not expected to become the coach of Real Madrid in the 2026-27 season. So for Arbeloa, this matter is basically coming to an end.

Mourinho is ready. As for Klopp, I have been receiving a lot of questions about Klopp, but I stick to the information I have been receiving. Klopp is now actively working for the Red Bull Group,  Klopp is completely focused on the Red Bull Group. If Klopp himself re-enters the market and says: "Okay, I've changed my mind, I want to be a coach again." In that case, Real Madrid might be an option.  But the first step should depend on Klopp, not Real Madrid. This is Real Madrid's view on this matter. The situation is still the same, and there is no change.

There is another important point to mention. For Mourinho, things will be much easier because Mourinho is ready to join. Mourinho is ready to say "yes" to Real Madrid. So from a timing and deal promotion perspective, this is a completely different matter.

One last thing, I continue to insist on a name that I have mentioned many times on this channel, Kroos.  Kroos is very attracted to the possibility of returning to the Real Madrid management team. This is news from three or four weeks ago, and I have been telling everyone. Kroos is attracted to this possibility, contact is ongoing, and the dialogue is still in the initial stages. But Kroos is very interested in this possibility.

Kroos wants to first figure out what he would specifically do every day if he returns to Real Madrid before saying: "Okay, this job is suitable for me." But from the overall feeling, Kroos is definitely open to returning to Real Madrid and is also attracted to this opportunity. Inside Real Madrid, and I have been told that Chairman Florentino also believes that Kroos can bring something very important to the players in terms of leadership, experience, mentality, and relationships with the players. So they believe that if Kroos joins the management team, this could be very critical. Regarding the coach, regarding Kroos, and of course regarding the players, there will be more news later. Because Real Madrid will also have actions at the player level this summer. We will continue to pay attention to everything.