José Mourinho Meets with Key Real Madrid Figures

José Mourinho is already in Madrid! "AS" officially broke the news, despite no photographs of him in the Spanish capital yet. The Santo Mauro Hotel, where he is staying, transformed into an impromptu operational hub on Tuesday. Located on Madrid's Zurbano Street, near Castellana and the Bernabéu stadium, the hotel became a magnet for key figures.

Mourinho's arrival in the Spanish capital was anticipated for the afternoon. However, the Portuguese manager was delayed and managed to enter the hotel without being photographed. Real Madrid is expected to officially announce his signing in the coming hours.

The first to arrive at the Santo Mauro Hotel on Tuesday afternoon was Oscar Ribot – an agent with significant influence at Real Madrid and who has also earned Mourinho's trust. The Portuguese mentioned him at the post-match press conference after the 4-2 game in Lisbon when asked about a potential return to the Bernabéu – a stadium he hadn't set foot in for 13 years. "My friend Oscar Ribot invited me," Mourinho said. "But I couldn't go because Benfica called me the day before to sign."

Minutes after Ribot, Real Madrid's General Director, José Ángel Sánchez, arrived. He is the most powerful decision-maker at the club after Florentino Pérez. He will directly oversee the transfer negotiations for the players Mourinho will request from Real Madrid, following the already confirmed signings of Dumfries for right-back and Konaté for the center-back position. But Mourinho wants more; he insists on at least one left-back and two midfielders – one creative and one defensive.

Later, Juni Calafat, Real Madrid's head of scouting and José Ángel Sánchez's right-hand man, joined this improvised headquarters at the Santo Mauro Hotel. The club's technical secretariat is already working on Mourinho's latest request, as he has approved two players for the left-back position: Gvardiol or Calafiori.

The last guest to arrive at the Santo Mauro summit was Jorge Mendes, the Portuguese coach's super-agent. He appeared amidst a flurry of activity but made no statements, holding his phone in hand. Mourinho joined them all, unnoticed by the media waiting at the entrance. He was slightly more delayed than expected, as he had to resolve some details with Benfica before unilaterally terminating his contract to come to Madrid. The "White Ballet" will have to pay 15 million euros for him, which corresponds to his annual salary.