Jose Mourinho's Return to Real Madrid and Its Impact on Liverpool

Jose Mourinho’s second act at Real Madrid is taking shape before he has even been officially unveiled – and the ripples could be felt all the way at Anfield.

The Portuguese coach is expected to be confirmed as Madrid’s new head coach, with multiple leading outlets aligning on the same story: the “Special One” is heading back to the Bernabéu. With that, the club’s summer transfer strategy is already being sketched out in his image.

One of Mourinho’s first demands, according to Cope, is clear and specific: a new defensive midfielder. The name at the top of his list is Morten Hjulmand of Sporting CP.

The Dane has quietly built a reputation as one of Europe’s most reliable holding midfielders, drawing admiring glances from several major clubs. Now Madrid are weighing a move that would plant him at the base of Mourinho’s midfield. If that deal gathers pace, it does more than strengthen Madrid. It changes the landscape for a couple of high‑profile names already in the Spanish capital.

Because the moment Madrid commit to Hjulmand, the alarm bells start ringing on Merseyside.

Liverpool have never been front-runners for Hjulmand, but their scouts and recruitment team have long tracked two other midfielders in that same Real Madrid engine room: Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga. Both have been repeatedly linked with the Reds in recent years, and Tchouaméni in particular has already admitted he came close to joining Liverpool in 2022, speaking about that near-move in an interview with Le Parisien.

Now, a door that once seemed firmly shut is creaking open again.

Reports in England, including from the Telegraph, suggest Tchouaméni could leave Madrid this summer, with Manchester United already credited with interest. If Mourinho secures Hjulmand as his preferred anchor, the Frenchman suddenly looks far less indispensable.

For Liverpool, that scenario is impossible to ignore. They still lack a true, specialist defensive midfielder to lock down the centre of the pitch. Tchouaméni, a proven international with elite physical and tactical tools, fits the profile almost perfectly. Should Madrid decide to cash in to reshape the squad around Mourinho’s vision, the 26-year-old would not be short of suitors – and Liverpool would have every reason to step into the fight.

Tchouaméni’s situation in Madrid has already grown more complicated. As of 20 May 2026, he has racked up 49 appearances this season, but the mood around the club is anything but serene. Barcelona’s back-to-back La Liga titles have stung, increasing pressure on players and staff alike.

That pressure spilled over in early May when Tchouaméni became involved in a physical altercation with teammate Federico Valverde during a training session. Club president Florentino Pérez moved quickly to play down the incident, but the details still leaked heavily into the Spanish press, feeding the sense of unrest around the squad.

Against that backdrop, a new coach with strong opinions and a clear idea of his midfield balance arrives. Mourinho wants his own holding midfielder. Hjulmand is his pick. Something – or someone – will have to give.

For Tchouaméni, that could mean a crossroads: fight to reassert himself under Mourinho or listen to the noise from England. For Liverpool, watching from afar, it might be the second chance they never expected to get.

The market will decide how bold they are willing to be.