Revealed: Date that Real Madrid will announce Jose Mourinho return - with the ‘Special One’ ready to answer SOS call from Santiago Bernabeu

Real Madrid plan to announce the return of Jose Mourinho as coach next Sunday or Monday when the Liga season ends, sources have told ESPN. Madrid host Athletic Club at the Bernabeu on Saturday, in their last game of the 2025-26 campaign.

The move marks a dramatic reunion between the club and the man who led them between 2010 and 2013. Mourinho has already been saying his goodbyes at current club Benfica, where he spent the last season.

Despite the manager previously suggesting there was a 99 per cent chance he would stay in Lisbon, the pull of the Spanish capital has proven too strong to resist.

Mourinho has verbally agreed on a deal to take over at Madrid, with a two-year contract on the table. While the paperwork is yet to be signed, the "Special One" has already addressed his future following the conclusion of the Portuguese domestic season.

President Florentino Perez has turned back to Mourinho after the club finished second to Barcelona in La Liga and suffered a quarter-final exit in the Champions League.

“I haven’t heard anything from Real Madrid yet, but none of us are naive, and there are conversations between [my agent] Jorge [Mendes], the president, and the club’s management ,” Mourinho said recently.

He added: “I will personally speak to Real Madrid next week, and I’ll make my decision then. So far, there have only been talks between Real Madrid and Jorge Mendes, not with me.”

Perez called elections last week, with potential candidates having until this Saturday, May 23, to enter the race.

Perez has already said he will stand for re-election, while businessman Enrique Riquelme stated on Monday that he would decide "in two or three days" if he wanted to stand. If Perez faces no opposition, he will be re-elected automatically; if Riquelme were to stand, a campaign would follow.

Sources told ESPN that Perez was therefore considering including a clause in Mourinho's contract which would allow Riquelme, were he to win those elections, to opt not to stick with the Portuguese coach and move onto another candidate.

However, Perez remains the driving force behind the appointment, praising Mourinho for increasing the club's competitiveness and building the foundation for over a decade of success.

Mourinho is expected to take over from Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January. Neither coach was able to deliver silverware, leaving Madrid empty-handed for two consecutive years.

Mourinho reportedly intends to demand total commitment and would look to overhaul the club's pre-season and rotation policies to reduce the frequency of muscle injuries that have hampered the team over the last two campaigns.