José Mourinho has reportedly emerged as Florentino Pérez’s preferred candidate to become the next Real Madrid manager, according to a report from The Athletic that has sparked strong reactions on social media.

Journalist Sergio Valentín of esRadio added further details on his social media account, claiming that Real Madrid made initial moves before the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. According to his version, José Ángel Sánchez contacted agent Jorge Mendes to explore Mourinho’s situation. Mendes reportedly responded that the coach could leave Benfica due to a release clause but had no intention of returning to Madrid, describing his previous spell as emotionally and personally exhausting.

Following Real Madrid’s Champions League elimination, Valentín states that Florentino Pérez personally contacted Mourinho. The Portuguese coach is said to have repeated the same position, though the Real Madrid president insisted on arranging a face-to-face meeting.

That meeting, according to the report, is expected to take place in Lisbon before May 3, which is described as Florentino’s internal deadline for making a final decision. Mourinho has agreed to attend, which is being interpreted as keeping the door open rather than closing it completely.

The situation remains open, with growing speculation that Mourinho could return to replace Álvaro Arbeloa on the Real Madrid bench.

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