Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho was reportedly offered £12million pounds by Real Madrid to reject a top job in football and instead wait for Zinedine Zidane to depart.
The Portuguese manager took over the hotseat in north London after the club sacked Mauricio Pochettino, but the 56-year-old had been linked with a return to Los Blancos, with the Spanish giants initially suffering a shaky start in La Liga.
Zidane ended up staying put after overseeing a turnaround in form, while Mourinho opted to join Spurs despite a host of interest in his services from a host of clubs.
The likes of Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Lyon and Chinese Super League outfits were all rumoured to be willing to offer him a route back into the game after taking a year out following his sacking by Manchester United in 2018.
But according to the Sun, Madrid would have spent big just to guarantee that the two-time Champions League winner would remain a free agent and take over if they decided to dispense with Zidane.
However, it is believed Mourinho had been eyeing up the Spurs job for some time, and once the possibility of a vacancy opened up, the Portuguese knew it was the role he wanted and was prepared to turn down his other options.
It had been reported that he had begun discussions with Daniel Levy weeks before Pochettino was eventually relieved of his duties on November 21st, with his agent Pini Zahavi quickly wrapping up a deal with Daniel Levy.
The Portuguese may feel he made the right choice after all, with three wins from his first three games in north London, as well as rumours circulating that Real Madrid players had been grimacing in anticipation of his possible return.
Reports in Spain claimed that many of the team were against the appointment of Mourinho, who managed Los Blancos from 2010 to 2013, after he fell out with a number of players during his stint.
His revival of Tottenham continued on Saturday as his side beat Bournemouth 3-2 at home to move up to fifth in the Premier League table.