Real Madrid is once again returning to the embrace of the man who once already took them to the top. According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the royal club has reached a deal with José Mourinho to be the next coach of „the whites" - 13 years after his last spell on the bench in Chamartín.

Mourinho led Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013 and took them to a La Liga title with a record number of points, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Now, with the same kind of trophies on the negotiating table, he has to fix something bigger - a fractured dressing room and a season ending in ashes.

Formally, the Portuguese still has a contract with Benfica until 2027, but it contains a clause that allows him to leave if another club pays around 3 million euros in compensation. In other words, Real will buy him back at a symbolic rather than a real price.

President Florentino Perez considers Mourinho the perfect coach to replace Álvaro Arbeloa, who was promoted to head coach after Xabi Alonso's January sacking. The solution is no surprise - Perez often returns to old acquaintances when the team's game in the club cools off.

For the same position, Mauricio Pochettino, Jürgen Klopp, Massimiliano Allegri and Didier Deschamps were also considered. All with a CV. None with that specific weight of a man who has already done it with Real.

Mourinho's job won't be easy. A dressing room that has been falling apart in recent weeks needs to be put back together. At the same time, he has to find balance in the squad and get the maximum out of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham - three stars who don't always function with each other as a team.

He is also expected to play a key role in the development of young players like Arda Güler, Franco Mastantuono and Nico Paz. Mourinho has so far not been particularly known as a coach of youngsters - he's been famous for building mature winning machines. The question is whether at 63 he still has the patience he once needed.

Real will also have to back him in the market, especially with the predictable departures of Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba, who are all leaving as free agents. That means a new defence and a new investment at a time when the club was just about to tighten its belt.

Madrid hopes Mourinho will use his magic touch - the same touch that, at Tottenham and in the last episodes of Chelsea, ran out of colour. If he succeeds, this will be the culmination of a career. If he doesn't, it will be a reminder that even legends can come back at the wrong moment.