La Liga: José Mourinho cools Real Madrid’s pursuit.

Rumor swells, but Mourinho cuts it short. Reported with insistence on Real Madrid’s side, the Portuguese coach says he has received no word from the club’s leadership. Former coach of the Madrid club between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho would, however, be one of the profiles under internal consideration, notably appreciated by President Florentino Pérez. A lead revived in a context of instability on the bench, where Alvaro Arbeloa, appointed after Xabi Alonso’s departure, has not managed to reverse the trend after another season without a major title.

But on his side, the current Benfica coach denies any contact. “Nobody from Real Madrid has spoken to me. I can guarantee you that,” he told reporters. Used to speculation, Mourinho downplays it: “I have been in football for so many years, and I am used to this kind of thing… but there is nothing from Real Madrid.” Under contract with the Lisbon club, he finally recalls his current situation: “I have one year left on my contract with Benfica, and that’s all.” This should cool, at least temporarily, rumors of a return to the Santiago Bernabéu bench.