Jose Mourinho has responded to reports of a spectacular return to the Real Madrid hotseat, while a top Bernabeu could be closing in on a return to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.<\/p>\n
Real head to Portugal on Tuesday evening to take on Mourinho\u2019s Benfica side in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, with a place in the last 16 of the competition up for grabs.<\/p>\n
And, ahead of the contest, the former Real Madrid<\/a> coach had plenty to say about the links and his previous time at the club.<\/p>\n Mourinho on Real Madrid return<\/p>\n The current Benfica boss\u00a0guided Madrid to a LaLiga title, Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercup triumph during his time at the Bernabeu and takes a lot of pride in his time in Madrid.<\/p>\n \u201cI gave everything to Real Madrid,\u201d Mourinho<\/a> said. \u201cEverything that I had. I\u2019ve done good and bad things but I gave my all and that\u2019s it. When a professional leaves a club with that feeling there ends up being a life-time connection.<\/p>\n \u201cI left 12 years ago and I\u2019ve always had the feeling and the affection is there.\u201d<\/p>\n Mourinho has, however, once again denied speculation of a potential return to the club as coach, despite forward Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior praising him ahead of Tuesday night\u2019s clash in Lisbon, claiming that the self-titled \u2018Special One\u2019 \u201cchanged the club\u2019s history a little\u201d during his three seasons in charge.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to feed stories that don\u2019t exist,\u201d Mourinho said on Monday. \u201cThe only thing that exists is that I have one year left on my contract with Benfica. It\u2019s a special contract as it was signed during [the club\u2019s] presidential election process.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has a clause that can easily be broken by me or Benfica. There\u2019s zero with Real Madrid.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love to eliminate Real Madrid, but I would love for Alvaro [Arbeloa] to win LaLiga and to remain at Madrid for many years.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is very capable, has a lot of Madridista in him and has the personality to coach Real Madrid, which is not for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Pretty conclusive stuff from Mourinho then, in terms of shutting the door to a Real return, as Real continue to weigh up their long-term options for the summer.<\/p>\n Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google <\/a>to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Tottenham edging closer to Real Madrid star<\/p>\n A move to Tottenham Hotspur for Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger<\/a> is reportedly \u2018gathering momentum\u2019, as the veteran defender prepares for a free transfer exit.<\/p>\n As per a report from Caught Offside, Spurs are firmly in the mix for the former Chelsea star, who will be out of contract come the end of the season.<\/p>\n The links follow information from our insider, Graeme Bailey, who revealed that intermediaries have been in contact with Tottenham, West Ham and Crystal Palace over a return to London specifically for the 32-year-old.<\/p>\n Those are also the three sides named in the fresh report, which states each club has initiated talks over a move for the German, who is ready to accept a drop in salary to seal a Premier League return this summer.<\/p>\n He\u2019s currently said to earn \u20ac280,000 (\u00a3243,300) per week, with Spurs comfortably ahead of their rivals in terms of being able to afford a figure anywhere close to that. Indeed, it would take Rudiger dropping his wage by a significant amount to bring the Hammers and Palace into play.<\/p>\n However, we are also aware that Saudi Arabian clubs are circling for Rudiger, and they\u2019d be able to pay more than any Premier League side, but his ambition to return to England could scupper any potential move there.<\/p>\n DON\u2019T MISS:\u00a0Free agents: The five best unattached players available in each position<\/a><\/p>\n Real Madrid tease outrageous swap deal<\/p>\n Real Madrid have reportedly made contact with Liverpool to propose an outrageous swap deal involving Eduardo Camavinga and Dominik Szoboszlai, as TEAMtalk reveals whether the club\u2019s owners, FSG, could agree to such a deal.<\/p>\n Having already signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from the Reds, Real also remain keen on Alexis Mac Allister and are now said to be monitoring playmaker\u00a0Szoboszlai<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n Hungary national team boss Marco Rossi lit the fire on that speculation when he revealed over the weekend that Szoboszlai dreams of playing for Real Madrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n And now slightly dubious Spanish outlet\u00a0E-Noticies claims that Madrid are actively trying to convince Liverpool to sell them the 25-year-old midfielder, offering the injury-plagued Camavinga and \u20ac30million (\u00a326m, $35.6m) for the Reds star.<\/p>\n However, our transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, reported on February 7, that\u00a0Liverpool are determined to hold of Szoboszlai<\/a>\u00a0and are ready to accept his demands for a new contract.<\/p>\n That appears to leave Real\u2019s hopes of a major summer deal in tatters and Camavinga likely staying put, for now.<\/p>\n