Mourinho signs Real Madrid contract until 2029 despite presidential election uncertainty

José Mourinho has signed a contract to manage Real Madrid until 2029, The Athletic reports, ending weeks of speculation about his return to the Santiago Bernabéu. The deal has been agreed despite the club currently being without a confirmed president, with elections scheduled for 7 June.

Mourinho still has a year remaining on his contract at Benfica. A release clause of just €3m existed in that deal but had to be activated by 25 May — a deadline that passed without action. As a result, Real Madrid are now expected to pay as much as €15m in compensation to bring him to Madrid, a significant increase on what the move would have cost weeks earlier. Mourinho had also been offered a new deal to stay in Lisbon but chose to pursue the return to Spain.

Incumbent president Florentino Perez is considered the heavy favourite to defeat rival candidate Enrique Riquelme in the 7 June vote. Should Perez be confirmed as winner, Mourinho is set to be officially presented the following day. The Athletic also reports that work on assembling his backroom staff is already under way.

It remains unclear whether the contract contains any exit clause should Riquelme win the election, a scenario that would create an unusual situation given that the incoming manager would have been appointed under a different presidential mandate.

Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning La Liga in the 2011-12 season. His return would mark one of the more high-profile managerial comebacks in recent European football, reuniting him with a club he left amid reported tensions with players and staff. Since then he has managed Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, and Fenerbahçe before taking charge at Benfica.