Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been linked with a dramatic return to Real Madrid.
The boss managed Real from 2010 to 2013 before leaving the club to take over at Chelsea.
Mourinho was asked about Real’s interest in him during Monday’s press conference ahead of United’s clash tonight with Juventus.
“I’m happy here and to see out my contract and I would like to stay after my contract runs out as well,” he said.
“All I’m thinking about is United.”
Yet reports in Spain today claim Real are persisting with their interest in the Portuguese manager.
According to Spanish paper El Pais, Real Madrid have contacted Mourinho ‘to offer him the seat that Julen Lopetegui now occupies’.
Lopetegui is tipped to lose his job once Real’s Champions League clash with Plzen tonight is over.
Los Blancos play Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season on Sunday but Lopetegui is not expected to be in charge for that clash.
El Pais claim Mourinho is ‘waiting to be fired’ and does not want to surrender the £18m still owed to him on his United contract.
Real had been contacted regarding their interest but declined to speak to the paper.
Express Sport understands Mourinho’s job is safe for now after the recent win over Newcastle and draw at Chelsea.
Yet Real executives are said to be working on how to lure the manager back to the Bernabeu.
Mourinho has been approached by Real president Florentino Perez and board member José Ángel Sánchez before.
Two years after he left the club, Real are said to have approached him as they sought a replacement for Rafa Benitez.
Benitez was sacked in January 2016 and Mourinho was free at the time, having lost his job at Chelsea a month earlier.
But Real instead appointed club legend Zinedine Zidane as their new manager – and the Frenchman led Los Blancos to three straight Champions League victories.
Antonio Conte is the other big name in the running to replace Lopetegui should the Spaniard be sacked this week.
Conte has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in the summer – and any move to Real would require the Spanish giants to negotiate the settlement of his Blues contract first.
Castilla coach Santiago Solari could be put in temporary charge of Real should Lopetegui get the boot without a direct replacement lined up.
El Pais claim the recruitment process could take several weeks to complete.