The agreement stipulates a two-year contract, and, per the Spanish club's strategy, his official presentation will be held at a press conference on 26 May.

To meet this timeline, the Madrid club must formally notify Benfica of its intent to trigger the relevant termination clause, releasing the manager from his final year with the Lisbon club.

José Mourinho's imminent exit leaves Benfica's management in limbo, awaiting his formal rejection of the contract renewal offer.

His move to Spain is widely expected, fueled by Florentino Pérez's own remarks. Following the club's election announcement, Real Madrid's president publicly praised Mourinho's tenure, stating the coach enhanced the club's competitiveness during a challenging period and laid the groundwork for its European success. Mourinho had already confirmed that Pérez had established direct contact with his agent, Jorge Mendes.

Real Madrid's launch of an electoral process does not legally hinder the operation. Statutorily, current management retains full authority to make sporting and financial decisions. Los Blancos conclude the season on Saturday, hosting Athletic Bilbao, and the leadership aims to release the official statement the following day, using the season's end to usher in a new technical era at the Bernabéu.

The political manoeuvring at the Spanish club could prompt a contingency plan if Enrique Riquelme formalises an opposition list to Florentino Pérez by Saturday's deadline.

Should significant electoral competition arise, not predicted as likely, Florentino may delay announcing Mourinho, positioning him as a centrepiece of his campaign. In this scenario, if the current leader wins, Mourinho's unveiling and presentation would be postponed to June 9th or 10th.

The most likely scenario remains the immediate payment of the termination clause to Benfica by Sunday, meeting Mourinho's ten-day deadline to settle his future. Unmoved by transfer speculation and backstage negotiations between Lisbon and Madrid, Mourinho continued his routine in Portugal, observed in Seixal watching Benfica's under-23 team compete in the Taça Revelação semi-final against Santa Clara.