Could Jose Mourinho return to Real Madrid this summer?

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes that Los Blancos’ first choice to replace current head coach Santiago Solari this summer is former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.

Calderon told Sky Sports: “I have no doubt Mourinho is the first option for the president. He’s been called in the last weeks.

“It was when Zinedine Zidane left, Mourinho was with Manchester United and he said it was not the right moment to come back, but maybe now he’s free. I think there will be many chances he will be on that bench next season.”

Solari running out of time

Tuesday night’s 4-1 home defeat against Ajax in the Champions League saw the European champions exit the competition 5-3 on aggregate. The humiliating defeat has only added to speculation that current head coach Santiago Solari is running out of time.

In truth, the Argentinian now looks like a dead man walking in the hot seat. His team are now out of contention to win any more silverware this season. Even when Solari inspired a turnaround in form at the beginning of his reign, he never seemed like a long-term appointment.

Mourinho returning to Madrid makes sense

Jose Mourinho returning to Madrid this summer actually makes sense. Well, it makes sense if you ignore this season with Manchester United that is. By the time he left the Red Devils, everybody seemed to have turned against the Portuguese boss.

However, that is standard Mourinho in his third season at every club he has managed. He should just sign a two-year deal wherever he manages.

If he returned to Madrid, the clubs hierarchy would no doubt back him in the transfer market. His arrival would give the club the lift they needed, at least in his first few seasons. Mourinho is still a winner and one of the most successful bosses of the modern era.

Few can compete with the former Chelsea boss when it comes to trophies won and medals picked up in his managerial career. Reviving Real Madrid seems like the sort of challenge Mourinho would enjoy too.

Real Madrid is still one of the biggest clubs in the world game. Yet, domestically Los Blancos have been in the shadow of their arch-rivals Barcelona in recent seasons. They need a new boss to come in and shake things up.

Mourinho is certainly the sort of boss to do just what needs to be done. He has that sort of abrasive character needed to changes things in the Spanish capital. Los Blancos are not quite in such a poor state as United were when Mourinho took over there, but they are in need of a facelift and change of mentality on the pitch.

Mourinho the favourite to be next Real Madrid boss

It seems unlikely that Santiago Solari will be the Real Madrid boss next season. The timing of Mourinho being out of work and Real Madrid needing a new boss seems right for the return of the Portuguese boss.

Mourinho is currently the favourite to be the next Real Madrid boss at 8/11, with the likes of Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, German boss Joachim Low and Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri reportedly high on Real Madrid’s managerial wish list.

It seems strange after supposedly failing at Manchester United that another big European club would be willing to appoint the Portuguese boss as their head coach. However, it would be very Mourinho-like to go into the club from the Spanish capital and be massively successful.

As much as he will not want to admit it, he failed to live up to his remit in Manchester. The chance to return to Madrid for another stint will more than likely prove too hard to resist for the Portuguese boss.

Could Jose Mourinho return to Real Madrid this summer?