Jose Mourinho has agreed a deal to return to Real Madrid as head coach 13 years after his departure, according to reports.
The 63-year-old Portuguese is expected to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who took over from new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso in January and has guided the club to second place in La Liga, although they are 11 points behind champions Barcelona with one round of matches remaining.
Mourinho spent three years as coach at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2010 and 2013, winning the league title – his team was the first to do so with 100 points – and the Copa del Rey.
His return follows weeks of speculation that he was the man president Florentino Perez wanted to take the club forward as it tries to challenge Barca, who have won back-to-back league titles and three of the last four, and return to Champions League glory following this season’s quarter-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Perez has come under intense pressure in recent weeks after two seasons without a trophy, and faced protests during Thursday’s 2-0 league win over Oviedo at the Bernabeu.
Mourinho was appointed Benfica coach on a two-year contract in September last year and since then he has led the Portuguese club to finish third in the Premier League behind Porto and Sporting Lisbon, where they went unbeaten.
