Real Madrid were ready to offer Jose Mourinho £12million NOT to take another job – and just wait for Zinedine Zidane to leave.
The Spanish giants did not want their former boss to link up with another top European club. But the Portuguese had his heart set on Tottenham. And Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who had been harbouring doubts about Mauricio Pochettino since the build-up to June’s Champions League final, rewarded his patience.
Real were not the only club whose approaches to Mourinho were in vain. Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Lyon all wanted him, while Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande were willing to pay him £40m a year AFTER tax. But once Mourinho knew the Tottenham job was in play, he was happy to stall on other options.
Spurs’ poor start to the season saw the club accelerate efforts to identify a successor to Poch. And it seems a key meeting took place in London on October 21, when Mourinho cancelled appointments at short notice in order to talk to super-agent Pini Zahavi.
The Special One left the meeting convinced he was the leading candidate to take over at Spurs and so was prepared to reject whatever offer Real might dangle in front of him.
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