Jose Mourinho has penned his new Real Madrid contract, according to David Ornstein, and club president Florentino Perez reportedly aims to hand the Portuguese two elite stars first up.
Real Madrid have sacked Alvaro Arbeloa, despite the 43-year-old only being made head coach following Xabi Alonso’s departure in January. Perez lost faith in Arbeloa after Los Blancos endured a trophyless season for the second year running.
The dressing room also exploded under Arbeloa, with Aurelien Tchouameni fighting Federico Valverde twice, Antonio Rudiger slapping Alvaro Carreras, and Kylian Mbappe arguing with a member of the coaching staff.
Perez has decided to re-hire Mourinho, believing the 63-year-old’s no-nonsense style can bring order back to Madrid and also help the club return to winning major silverware.
Ornstein has confirmed that Mourinho has ‘signed’ his Madrid contract to leave Benfica and return to the Bernabeu 13 years after his first spell.
The deal will run for an initial two years and include the option of an extra 12 months, should things go well.
Ornstein adds that Mourinho’s appointment is ‘set to be announced’ after the presidential election on June 7. Perez is looking to fend off Enrique Riquelme to keep control of the Spanish titans.
As per Spanish radio station COPE, Perez wants to follow up on Mourinho’s return with two spectacular signings.
His first target is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves.
Perez and Mourinho have already agreed to target a world-class new midfielder this summer amid uncertainty over the futures of Eduardo Camavinga and Valverde, and Neves has emerged as a dream target.
Another top target is Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, but Manchester City are determined to keep the Spaniard.
PSG, like City, do not intend to sell to Madrid. Neves has been given a huge €110m (£95m) price tag, and many would argue that he would actually cost even more than that.
It was claimed on Wednesday that Neves is interested in joining Madrid after super agent Jorge Mendes tried to get the transfer moving.
However, the 21-year-old is enjoying unprecedented success at PSG, so whether he will actually push to leave the French capital remains to be seen.
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Real Madrid eye Neves, Bastoni
Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni is Perez’s next world-leading target.
Madrid need a new centre-back to replace David Alaba and eventually succeed Rudiger, and Bastoni has emerged as a strong candidate.
The Italian is considering a big move away from Inter this summer and would likely jump at the chance to join Madrid.
Indeed, it has already been claimed that Mourinho has ‘convinced’ him to move to the Bernabeu. Bastoni is valued in the region of €75m (£65m).
There has also been an update on Ibrahima Konate potentially moving to Madrid after his Liverpool contract talks collapsed.