Real Madrid lost a lot of money because of Mourinho.

The election process delayed Real Madrid's appointment of Jose Mourinho, meaning his release clause with Benfica rose to €15 million.

Real Madrid would have to spend up to 15 million euros if they want to bring Jose Mourinho away from Benfica after May 26th, when his 7 million euro release clause officially expires.

This is currently the focus of Portuguese media attention, given that the future of "The Special One" seems almost certainly tied to the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid spent 15 million euros to bring Mourinho to Bernabeu. Photo: LUSA

According to Spanish and Portuguese media, Mourinho is still legally the coach of Benfica, but his departure from the Lisbon club is only a matter of time.

Before May 26th, Real Madrid could activate his release clause for a fee of 7 million euros. However, from the moment the clock struck midnight, that cost skyrocketed to 15 million euros – equivalent to Mourinho's entire gross salary for the final year of his contract.

However, Real Madrid may still be able to negotiate a reduction in this figure. For now, the upcoming elections (June 7th), in which candidate Enrique Riquelme challenges incumbent president Florentino Perez, mean that "Los Blancos" cannot finalize a contract with Mourinho.

Benfica understands that the relationship between the club and Mourinho has seriously deteriorated, and the Portuguese manager himself has no intention of continuing his association with the club.

However, Benfica are unwilling to let Mourinho go for a low price, especially given their disadvantageous position after failing to qualify for the Champions League next season.

The pressure on Benfica is even greater as the team is forced to play in the Europa League qualifying round on July 23rd, meaning the new season has to start early, at the end of June. Meanwhile, the club's personnel plans are almost frozen because Mourinho's future remains unresolved.

Chairman Rui Costa had pledged to quickly stabilize the situation after the final match of the season, but a week has passed and Benfica has yet to announce a new coach.

Marco Silva, who is considered a strong candidate to replace Mourinho, is also waiting to see how this transfer unfolds.

As for Mourinho, he appeared quite calm in the face of all the pressure. The experienced coach understood that his chances of leading Real Madrid were very high, despite the fact that the Royal team would now have to pay double the fee to secure his signature.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/real-madrid-mat-bon-tien-de-dua-jose-mourinho-tro-lai-2519713.html