Jose Mourinho in talks with Benfica after Portuguese club sack Bruno Lage

By Simon Peach and Jamie Gardner, PA

Jose Mourinho is in talks over a return to Benfica after the Portuguese giants sacked head coach Bruno Lage.

The PA news agency understands the 62-year-old former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham boss could head back to the Lisbon club, where he was briefly in charge between September and December 2000, although the deal is not yet done.

Benfica president Rui Costa confirmed Lage had been dismissed in a press conference following Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat at home to Qarabag of Azerbaijan.

“I believe this is the time for a change, precisely to avoid compromising the season,” Costa said.

“And, consequently, the coach who comes in must be a winning coach. A coach representing a club of this size must be one with the ability to bring this team to the levels we demand and give us the titles we desire.”

Mourinho’s last coaching post was with Turkish side Fenerbahce, who sacked him last month after they failed to reach the league phase of the Champions League.

Mourinho first came to prominence at Benfica’s domestic rivals Porto, winning the UEFA Cup in 2003 and Champions League in 2004.

He joined Chelsea soon after that Champions League success and steered the Blues to Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, plus the 2015 crown in his second stint in charge.

He was a Champions League winner at Inter Milan in 2010 and, while he was unable to restore Manchester United to greatness, he did guide them to the Europa League title in 2017.

His time at Tottenham ended without a trophy, though he was sacked days before the team were due to take on Manchester City in the 2021 League Cup final.

He was a Conference League winner at Roma in 2022 before taking charge at Fenerbahce in the summer of 2024.