Some stories feel like they belong to a different era.
A different version of football, in a different time period.
And then the dots begin connecting in real time.
Suddenly, one of the most iconic managerial partnerships in the history of the sport is about to happen again.
Real Madrid open direct contacts with Jose Mourinho as Florentino Perez prepares to make defining decision
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid have started the Jose Mourinho operation, with direct contacts now taking place between the two parties.
Benfica want Mourinho to stay at all costs and are fully aware that talks with Real Madrid are ongoing.
But the Portuguese club also know that the decision doesn’t rest with them.
It rests with Florentino Pérez.
If the Real Madrid president decides he wants Mourinho back at the Bernabeu, the deal happens.
And everything happening at Real Madrid right now suggests Perez is running out of alternatives he truly believes in.
The season has been a disaster by the club’s own extraordinary standards.
A second consecutive trophyless campaign, and a dressing room that has fractured publicly.
Alvaro Arbeloa stepped in as an emergency solution after Xabi Alonso’s resignation.
However, nobody ever believed that was a long-term answer.
Mourinho is.
The history between the two parties is well documented.
Between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho delivered La Liga to Real Madrid in record-breaking fashion.
He made the Bernabeu believe again.
Reports had previously indicated that Mourinho’s Benfica deal contains a clause allowing a move to Real Madrid specifically, removing what would otherwise be the most significant practical obstacle.
Benfica can fight the sentiment, however, they can’t fight the clause.
Florentino Perez will make the call.
And based on everything happening inside and around Real Madrid right now, the Special One’s return feels closer than ever.
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