BREAKING: Jose Mourinho Return To Real Madrid Under Threat From New Benfica Plan

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According to a report by FootballTransfers on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Jose Mourinho’s sensational return to Real Madrid is hanging in the balance, with Benfica reportedly preparing to play hardball as the clock ticks down on the Portuguese manager’s release clause.

The Spanish giants are scrambling to secure a successor for Alvaro Arbeloa, who confirmed on Friday that he will step down at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Arbeloa, promoted from Madrid’s academy setup after replacing Xabi Alonso in January, signed off the La Liga season with a 4-2 victory over Athletic Club at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

For weeks, reports across Europe have claimed Mourinho — who previously led Real Madrid between 2011 and 2013, winning three major trophies — is deep in negotiations over a dramatic comeback to the Spanish capital.

But the deal is now facing serious complications.

According to BBC Sport, Mourinho’s Benfica contract contains a €3 million (£2.6m) release clause that can be activated within 10 days of Benfica’s final game of the season against Estoril on May 16.

Yet with that deadline set to expire next Tuesday, Real Madrid have still not officially announced the appointment.

The delay comes amid growing political turbulence inside the club, with Florentino Perez currently occupied by presidential elections he called earlier this month.

Now, Spanish outlet Diario AS reports Benfica are prepared to raise the stakes dramatically.

If Madrid fail to trigger Mourinho’s clause before it expires, the Portuguese side are reportedly ready to demand a staggering €7 million compensation package to release the 63-year-old coach.

The uncertainty surrounding Mourinho’s future is unfolding against the backdrop of a rare challenge to Perez’s grip on power at the Bernabeu.

Renewable energy businessman Enrique Riquelme has formally entered the presidential race, becoming the first serious opposition Perez has faced in years.

Speaking at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training complex on Saturday, Riquelme declared: “Today is a very important day for Real Madrid. After 20 years, there will finally be a chance to vote.

This is not a candidacy against anyone; it is in favour of Real Madrid, in support of a project we have worked on extensively up to this point and that we would decide on today.

“We have an enormously important project in sporting terms and socially; there are many initiatives that the members will love.

I ask them not to be afraid, to be brave, to listen to us, and to vote between the two candidacies thinking about the short, medium, and long term.

“Once the electoral board officially names us as candidates, we will have two weeks to present all the projects we have, and I hope you will allow all the messages to reach every corner of Spain.”

Riquelme’s challenge marks the first genuine electoral contest Perez has faced after running unopposed in the last four election cycles in 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025.

As political uncertainty grows in Madrid, Benfica appear determined to exploit the chaos — and force Real to pay a far steeper price if they truly want Mourinho back at the Bernabeu.