Benfica says Real Madrid must pay €15 million for Mourinho

Benfica confirmed on Thursday that Real Madrid needs to pay 15 million euros to get their coach, Jose Mourinho.

Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, wants to bring Mourinho back to the Bernabeu. This is 13 years after Mourinho left the club in 2013. Perez is looking for re-election this weekend.

Benfica released a statement saying Perez had told them about his “firm intention to recruit” Mourinho. They also mentioned that Mourinho’s release clause is 15 million euros, which is about $17.4 million.

Some earlier reports claimed that it might cost Real Madrid as little as three million euros.

Mourinho has already appeared in a video on Perez’s Instagram account. In the video, he said he was ready to return to the club he joined in 2010.

During his time at Real Madrid, he won one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey, and one Spanish Super Cup.

Bringing back Mourinho is a big risk for Perez. Los Blancos have not won a major trophy for two seasons in a row.

But Perez believes Mourinho can bring some order to a dressing room that seems divided. There are rumors that player power has become too strong.

Mourinho joined Benfica in September 2025. He led the team to an unbeaten league season, but they only finished third.

He has one year left on his contract.