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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is one of four candidates Real Madrid have approached to potentially replace current boss Carlo Ancelotti, according to Sky Sports' Guillem Balague.

Ancelotti's future looks to be as good as decided with confirmation of Barcelona's Liga title win on Sunday. The Italian boss—who led Los Blancos to La Decima last season—is now destined to finish the season without adding anything beside the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup to the club's trophy cabinet.

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Mourinho Says He Wasn't Offered Real Madrid Job

Tuesday, May 19

If any Real Madrid fans have their hopes raised for the return of Mourinho at the Bernabeu, they are likely to be disappointed.

Contrary to Balague's claim, Marca reported that the Chelsea manager was surprised to hear talk of him replacing Ancelotti, and was quoted saying:

It isn't true. The truth of the matter is that I called the president to congratulate him on winning the Euroleague title in basketball. I know how much it meant to him. That's why I was so happy for him and wanted to congratulate him.

Balague Reveals Real Madrid Interest In Mourinho

Tuesday, May 18

Balague's revelation came on Revista de La Liga, where he claimed approaches have already been made for Ancelotti's replacement, including the outside shout of Mourinho. Sky Sports reported Balague's comments on the show:

Real have spoken to Julen Lopetegui at Porto, to Jurgen Klopp, to Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho. They have already spoken to those four to see if they would be interested in coaching Real Madrid. They have spoken to Jose Mourinho—he said no to them, of course. Out of those four, Rafa is favoured by some but not others. Mourinho is favoured by some and not by others and Lopetegui is deemed as something for the future, but they have sounded out all of them.

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Mourinho only exited the Bernabeu two seasons ago, having endured a turbulent relationship with fans, players, and the Spanish media. He is a consistent winner of trophies, however, as highlighted by his recent Premier League title triumph with Chelsea. Mourinho landed Madrid's last Liga triumph, plus the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup during his time at the club.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher recently said that "you wouldn't be surprised" if Real Madrid Castilla head coach Zinedine Zidane replaced Ancelotti, per Sky Sports (h/t Kieran Gill of the MailOnline).

However, Balague told Revista this is unlikely because of the reserve side's poor performances: "Klopp isn't an automatic yes for the job, and it may be a little bit too early for Zinedine Zidane," said Balague. "There was a plan at the beginning of the season, but Real Madrid Castilla haven't been doing too well so, again, there is doubt."

Balague recently discussed potential replacements for Ancelotti with B/R UK's Ryan Bailey:

Madrid full-back Marcelo hopes Ancelotti is given time to prove he is the right man for the job, reported by Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football: "I hope Ancelotti stays. He's an incredible manager, and he's supported us a lot. We didn't win a title but we now have to pick ourselves up and work hard for next season."

Balague believes "there is not a clear candidate to replace Ancelotti and he could stay," perhaps giving the veteran manager extra time to capture his first Spanish league title.

Mourinho would certainly be among the bolder choices to replace him. However, it's unlikely the Portuguese boss would exchange what he's got at Chelsea—where his character and use of mind games is loved—for another shot in the Spanish capital.

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Rafa Benitez proved himself in La Liga by taking Valencia to two titles in three years, an achievement that is unlikely to be repeated these days. He's also extremely successful in European competitions, having won the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool and 2013 Europa League with Chelsea. His tactical, always-thinking style would be interesting to witness at Madrid.

Both Klopp and Lopetegui should be regarded as candidates for the future, although could be smart choices if Madrid president Florentino Perez is willing to give them time. At 47 and 48 respectively, they could dedicate the next decade to getting Madrid back on top. The ruthless Perez may have other ideas, though.

Whatever happens, Mourinho isn't an obvious choice to replace Ancelotti. Madrid's willingness to chop and change managers certainly hasn't led to a consistent era of success in recent years, so a new strategy may be required.