Jose Mourinho has dismissed reports claiming he is in talks to be the next manager of Real Madrid, insisting he is focused solely on the challenges facing his Inter team.
Inter head into the final Serie A match of the season at Siena on Sunday two points clear of second-placed Roma, then meet Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on 22 May.
“I haven’t spoken with any other club and, like all Inter fans, I too am thinking only of the matches with Siena and Bayern Munich,” said Mourinho. “These are crazy days, we are focussed on our two objectives and nobody at Inter is thinking about what they will do after the Champions League final. That is the truth.
“I told my agent, Jorge Mendes, I will not discuss the matter at least until May 23 – after the Champions League final. The immediate objectives are what I said. But I still have things to do in football. Of course part of my plan is to coach in Spain, and maybe also be Portugal coach some day – but that’s when I’m old, maybe in 15 or 20 years.
Asked whether one day he would like to coach the Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, he reiterated his former statement: “Well, I said I want to be coach of Portugal in 15 or 20 years.”
Yesterday the Inter president, Massimo Moratti, had issued a similar statement rejecting reports he was looking for a successor for Mourinho.
“In regard to what has been reported by certain media outlets, in quite a brazen way, FC Internazionale would like to underline that they have never been in contact with managers of other clubs or international sides,” he said. “We have a contract until 2012 with Jose Mourinho, and we are all concentrated, exclusively, on the important upcoming challenges of the team.”
Gazzetta dello Sport reported this morning that it would cost Real Madrid €57m to hire Mourinho. The paper said Madrid would have to pay €5m to terminate the contract of their existing manager, Manuel Pellegrini, €7m to have Inter release Mourinho and €15m a season for a minimum of three seasons in wages for the Portuguese and his staff of four people.
