Real Madrid are going back to an old flame. According to Sky Germany, the Spanish giants have directly contacted José Mourinho with an offer to take over the bench - 13 years after his last goodbye.

The Portuguese is open to a return to the „Santiago Bernabéu", where he won three trophies between 2010 and 2013. But as usual when Mourinho is in play, the price is not measured in euros alone. He wants full control - of the squad, of transfers, of everything.

The main backer of the move inside the club is Florentino Pérez. The question is whether the Real president will accept the demands of the 63-year-old coach, because historically Mourinho is not a man to be managed - he is the one who manages.

Real are currently in a crisis the „Royal House" does not remember. The season will most likely end without a trophy, and last week Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde got into a fight at training. The Uruguayan ended up in hospital with a „traumatic brain injury", as the club officially announced. Both players are facing disciplinary action.

Mourinho is currently at Benfica, undefeated in the Portuguese league but nine points behind Porto. His contract runs until 2027, but the release clause is only three million euros - a symbolic sum for a club of Real's size.

The question is not whether Madrid can bring Mourinho back. The question is - whether Pérez can live with him a second time.