Jose Mourinho‘s move to Real Madrid has been one of the most anticipated coaching appointments of the summer, though it has been temporarily held up by the club’s upcoming presidential election. With Real Madrid set to pay €15 million to Benfica to secure his release, Mourinho is on course to become the third most expensive manager in soccer history.
With Alvaro Arbeloa’s tenure coming to an end, president Florentino Perez identified Mourinho as his preferred choice to take charge at Real Madrid for the next three years. However, the announcement has been put on hold pending the outcome of the presidential election, with Perez even publicly presenting Mourinho as one of his flagship promises should he be reelected.
One of the central complications in the move has been Mourinho’s contractual situation at Benfica, where he still had one year remaining on his deal. The coach originally held a release clause worth seven million euros, but that expired on May 26, meaning Real Madrid will now be required to pay 15 million euros to complete the transfer, an amount Benfica confirmed the Spanish club is willing to pay.
Benfica issued an official statement addressing the matter directly: “Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Futebol, SAD (‘Benfica SAD’) informs that the candidacy of President Florentino Pérez for the Real Madrid CF elections has expressed a firm intention to hire coach José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix should he win the presidential elections for that club, scheduled for June 7, 2026. Should this scenario occur, the hiring will be carried out for the amount of €15,000,000, corresponding to the buyout clause of the sporting employment contract currently in force.“
Benfica’s statement released over Jose Mourinho’s move to Real Madrid.
Perez will face challenger Enrique Riquelme, whose Erling Haaland claims have prompted Manchester City to explore potential legal action, in Sunday’s election. With both candidates making bold promises to the membership, Perez has moved to demonstrate tangible progress on multiple fronts, having already secured the signing of Ibrahima Konate while the Mourinho appointment edges closer to becoming a reality.
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Mourinho set to become the third most expensive coach in history
While multi-million-euro transfer fees for players have become routine, clubs have increasingly been willing to spend significant sums to pry coaches out of their existing contracts as well. The amounts remain far below what is spent on players, but Mourinho’s fee will place him among the most expensive managerial moves ever made.
The record belongs to Julian Nagelsmann, with Bayern Munich paying €25 million to RB Leipzig for his services in 2021, only to dismiss him less than two years later in March 2023. Second on the list is Graham Potter, who cost Chelsea €24.5 million to bring in from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022, lasting just seven months in the role.
Third on that list would be Mourinho, with the €15 million Real Madrid will pay to Benfica placing him alongside Andre Villas-Boas, who cost Chelsea €15 million to sign from FC Porto in 2011, and Xabi Alonso, with German outlet Kicker reporting that Bayer Leverkusen received between €12 million and €15 million from Real Madrid for his release.
