Perez begins new project with Mourinho and confirms two deals… and €150m for third star

Real Madrid’s re-elected president Florentino Perez is set to embark on an ambitious sporting project under Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho that involves rebuilding the Royals from scratch with quality deals that include Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries in addition to a third star worth €150m.

Perez picked Mourinho as the team’s new manager weeks before the election, in a move aimed at restoring Royal’s European dominance after years of Champions League failure.

Mourinho returns to finish the job

This will be the Portuguese manager’s second stint at Real after a first spell between 2010 and 2013, during which he lost three successive Champions League finals by the narrowest of margins.

Despite the European failure, Mourinho managed to win a record Spanish league title in 2012 as well as the Copa del Rey with what many consider to be the best Barcelona team in history, breaking the dominance of traditional rivals and bringing back the spirit of competition in the Royal team.

Conate and Dumfries… two confirmed deals

During his campaign, Perez confirmed the signings of two players: French defender Ibrahima Konate and Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries.

Konate will join Real Madrid in the same way that the club have signed the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba in recent years as he moves on a free transfer after his Liverpool contract expires.

The French centre-back is expected to become the new leader of a defense plagued by repeated injuries, while Mourinho must decide whether the squad needs another defender after assessing current players such as Hawsen and Asensio.

As for Dumfries, he will join Real Madrid to compete with Alexander-Arnold at right-back after paying the release clause in his contract with Inter Milan.

The Dutchman is considered one of the type of veterans who has been honed through battle, which is the style Mourinho prefers in his teams, and the characteristics that Real Madrid now desperately need.

150 million euros

Last Thursday, Perez announced on Horsenti TV that Real Madrid would make a €150 million bid for one of the stars, without revealing the player’s identity.

Three candidates for the big deal

In the end, it remains to be seen who will be Florentino Perez’s next big signing, with 3 names standing out as the main candidates: Michael Ollis, Vitignan and Joao Neves, and who of these three could turn out to be the most expensive deal in Real Madrid’s history.

Other names are under consideration

Perez’s plans are not limited to these names as there are other lesser known names who have not yet joined the team but they could join to strengthen it especially if the team sees the departure of big name players after Mourinho’s arrival.