The paths of Real Madrid and its former coach, Jose Mourinho, are almost set to cross again. Although there have been many rumors about it, the coach has now spoken out again, and apparently, everything has been just speculation.

Although the club's current coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, fought with everything he had to keep the club's unbalanced roster afloat, his services will no longer be required this summer.

Knowing that the club would need a new successor, the candidate who attracted the most attention from both the club and the fans was the Portuguese coach Mourinho.

Until a few weeks ago, this statement was just that: a rumor. But things have changed when the journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the club's president, Florentino Perez, had a chat with Mourinho to reach a possible agreement.

Other sources also confirmed that the 63-year-old coach was clear and asked for three conditions: to speak only at mandatory and necessary first-team news conferences, a two-year contract, and to bring his own staff.

With the cards on the table, the Portuguese waited to see what the club would decide on whether to proceed and accept the conditions he had asked for.

But now Mourinho said something that turned the story around. Ahead of a match with his current team, Benfica, which will play Sporting de Braga on Monday, he responded to a journalist's question about the whole Real Madrid matter and his signing.

Although he did not respond directly to the question, he emphasized that he had no contact with Los Blancos, but left open the possibility of doing so after the last league match against Estoril.

"Interest in returning to Real Madrid? There is one thing I would like to emphasize... That in the world of football, it is not the professionals who are interested in going or not going," the coach said.

The former Real Madrid coach made it clear that, as on other occasions throughout his career, he did not speak with anyone, especially now that he is in the final phase of the season.

"They keep talking about Real Madrid, and I keep avoiding it with all honesty. I had no contact, not even with the president or with any of the important people in the structure," he said.

The Portuguese also made it clear that, after the match against Estoril, a one-week window would open during which he would have the freedom to speak with the club, but that everything else was simply not true.

"All the stories that have come out about demands, meetings... Everything is speculation," he concluded.

Although Mourinho denied everything we knew so far, he did not rule out an agreement between the club and him, so everyone will be attentive in the coming weeks.

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