Rui Costa relaxed over José Mourinho’s Benfica future despite external pressure | OneFootball

Rui Costa remains confident José Mourinho will continue as Benfica head coach, despite renewed speculation in Spain fuelled by Real Madrid’s current turmoil. Inside the club, the prospect of a change is not viewed as a concern.

According to O JOGO, despite claims in Spain of an increasing rapprochement between Mourinho and Real Madrid, including alleged meetings with Florentino Pérez, Benfica maintain that nothing has changed. The report adds there was no videoconference involving Mourinho, Pérez and Jorge Mendes.

At Luz, the plan is to move forward with a two-year extension for Mourinho, with preparations for next season being handled jointly by Rui Costa, the coach and the football department. Work is already under way on targets requested by Mourinho, notably Issa Doumbia of Venezia and Braga’s Rodrigo Zalazar, underlining his active role in planning for 2026/27.

Amid the noise, the 63-year-old is keeping full focus on the run-in. Internally he views securing second place in the league as essential, a position that could lead to a Champions League place, which he regards as the immediate priority.

Benfica host Braga on Monday 11 May in the Liga Portugal Betclic’s 33rd round, with kick-off at 20:15 at Estádio da Luz.

Source: Glorioso 1904