15 million euros to terminate Mourinho’s contract

The Portuguese club Benfica announced today, Thursday, that any step by Florentino Pérez, the candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid, competing in the Spanish Premier League, to appoint Jose Mourinho as the team’s coach will require the payment of 15 million euros, which is the value of the Portuguese coach’s contract termination clause.
In a statement addressed to the Portuguese Financial Markets Regulatory Authority, Benfica said that Perez announced, as part of his electoral campaign for the Real Madrid presidential elections scheduled for June 7, his “firm intention” to appoint Mourinho if he is re-elected.
Benfica’s statement said, “If this scenario occurs, the appointment will be made for an amount of 15 million euros, which is equivalent to the contract termination clause contained in the current sports employment contract.”
Mourinho has a contract with Benfica until June 2027, and he had previously stated that the club had offered him a contract renewal.
Earlier today, Perez told the Spanish sports newspaper AS that Mourinho and Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate will be the first two to sign with him if he wins a new presidential term at the helm of the Spanish club.
Perez faces his rival, Enrique Riquelme, a businessman in the field of renewable energy, in Real Madrid’s first competitive presidential elections in 20 years.
The move to sign Mourinho, who led Real Madrid to achieve a record number of points in the Spanish League in 2012, but won the last league title with Chelsea in 2015, follows a process in which Barcelona won two consecutive league titles.
Real Madrid, a 15-time Champions League winner, also exited Europe’s biggest club competition in the quarter-finals in the past two seasons, prompting Perez to call for elections due to the lack of major titles.
Mourinho has coached a host of other top clubs, including Manchester United, Roma, Fenerbahce, and most recently Benfica.