Several Hurdles for Mourinho at Real Madrid

The confirmation of upcoming presidential elections at Real Madrid has put José Mourinho in a holding pattern. The coach, a prime candidate for the 'Los Blancos' dugout, understands that the elections complicate his potential arrival at the club.

Firstly, according to AS, Benfica plans to leverage the situation to secure a larger financial compensation than the seven million euros stipulated in Mourinho's release clause, which was valid until May 26th. After this date, with the clause expired, Madrid would be forced to negotiate directly with the Lisbon club, which aims to maximize its profit.

Recent events—Carreras' departure, the tug-of-war over his transfer before or after the Club World Cup, Champions League clashes, and incidents involving Prestiani and Vinicius—have strained relations between the two clubs. The Mourinho situation is now the icing on the cake. Regardless of his future with Real Madrid, the Portuguese coach will not continue at Benfica, despite having another year left on his contract.

Mourinho's departure from Benfica wasn't traumatic, but it wasn't amicable either. The club didn't appreciate Mourinho publicly stating on Thursday that he had received a contract renewal offer and wouldn't consider it until Sunday, after the final match. Similarly, Mourinho was displeased that Benfica delayed their contract offer for so long, believing the club only made it under duress, after he had already received a call from Madrid.

Therefore, the coach is aware that even in the unlikely event of Florentino losing the elections, his future still lies away from Benfica. Even before Madrid's offer, he had already received several other top-tier offers to move on. Now, the coach continues to wait, and while not overly concerned, he closely monitors everything related to the club's elections daily. He also understands that these elections will delay his project at Real Madrid by several weeks, which could prove crucial. Despite everything, Mourinho is confident that Florentino will win the elections.

Mourinho has meticulously watched Madrid's last six or seven matches and has a clear analysis of the areas that need strengthening. However, he knows that over the next two weeks, Florentino will focus more on winning the elections than on implementing Mourinho's directives. Furthermore, the coach is also waiting to see if Florentino will openly declare Mourinho as his chosen coach to help secure the election victory—a move that would significantly strengthen the Portuguese's position for the future.

Mourinho's commitment to Madrid is strong. He sees this period as an opportunity to cap off his career and finally win the Champions League with Real Madrid, after reaching three consecutive semi-finals previously. His agreement with Madrid, which is still awaiting signature, stipulates a two-year term on the bench, with an automatic extension for another year if he wins La Liga.