A return to Real Madrid is a very real possibility for Jose Mourinho if he is sacked by Chelsea, former club president Ramon Calderon has told talkSPORT.

The Portuguese coach is feeling the heat in the Stamford Bridge hotseat, with the defending Premier League champions currently 16th in the table after suffering seven defeats in their opening 12 games.

It has been reported that Blues owner Roman Abramovich is prepared to be patient with Mourinho and will give him time to turn their season around, but that hasn’t stopped suggestions that he could be axed if results don’t improve soon.

And, if he is given the boot by Chelsea, Calderon insists “you can’t rule out” seeing ‘the Special One’ in the Bernabeu home dug out again.

Mourinho left Real in 2013 following a tumultuous three-season spell which saw the world’s most expensive side claim just one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey triumph, while his exit was marred by reports he had fallen out with a number of the club’s key stars.

Yet, according to Calderon, current president Florentino Perez remains a big fan of the coach and would not hesitate to bring Mourinho back to the club in place of current manager Rafa Benitez.

Speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, the ex-Los Blancos chief said: “It’s not a secret that the current Real Madrid president has backed Mourinho many times.

“He likes him a lot and you can’t rule out seeing him again on the bench at the Bernabeu.

“I know it seems strange, but if Benitez doesn’t have a good season and Mourinho gets sacked by Chelsea, I insist you can’t rule out seeing him here again.

“I know that the president tried to have him here instead of Benitez, but Mourinho said he didn’t want it and that it wasn’t the right time to come back.

“But after two or three years I can see him here again. It happened the same with Chelsea, they sacked him but then he came back. In football that is normal.

“The current president has a lot of interest in Mourinho, he backed him a lot during his time at Madrid and Mourinho is his favourite coach.”