Jose Mourinho hasn’t officially started at Real Madrid.
He hasn’t taken a single training session. He hasn’t selected a single starting eleven.
And yet his transfer wishlist is already taking shape.
Because if the reports are accurate, the Special One has identified his first marquee signing.
And it’s someone who already knows what it feels like to play under enormous pressure at a club with the highest of expectations.
Jose Mourinho eyes Enzo Fernandez as first Real Madrid signing
According to football.london, Mourinho is understood to be a significant admirer of Enzo Fernandez, making it clear internally that he would welcome the chance to build his Champions League midfield around the Argentine World Cup winner.
The 25-year-old has been offered to Real Madrid by his representatives.
And the response from the Bernabeu has been far from dismissive.
Florentino Perez is understood to be supportive.
Chelsea’s failure to qualify for European football has become a central factor in Fernandez’s thinking.
His camp are aware of the situation and are actively exploring options, with the Argentine’s desire to play in the Champions League a non-negotiable element of any future move.
Mourinho’s connection to the player also runs deeper than simple admiration.
He knows Jorge Mendes, Fernandez’s agent, well.
And that relationship has already proved useful in facilitating early conversations about what a move to Madrid could look like.
For Chelsea, this is exactly the kind of story they were hoping to avoid.
Xabi Alonso arrived this summer with a mandate to rebuild and stabilise.
However, losing the captain before pre-season even begins would be a deeply damaging start to that process.
The club know the interest is real.
But Mourinho building a Real Madrid midfield around a player of Fernandez’s quality and range is a compelling pitch.
The summer is only just beginning.
Yet, the Special One is already making his intentions very clear.
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