Jose Mourinho 'in advanced talks' over Benfica reunion as Ruben Amorim links quashed | OneFootball

The veteran manager could soon return to the Champions League after being sacked by Fenerbahce

Jose Mourinho is in advanced talks to sign as head coach of Benfica after the Portuguese giants sacked Bruno Lage on Tuesday night.

And he has moved quickly in signing a replacement, with Fabrizio Romano reporting Benfica are already in advanced talks with Mourinho, who served a ten-match spell as the club’s head coach back in 2000.

The Portuguese was dismissed by Fenerbahce in August after losing to Benfica in a Champions League qualifier.

Mourinho’s appointment would quash reports linking Ruben Amorim to the role.

He had been considered a leading candidate to take over in Lisbon after João Noronha Lopes, a frontrunner to become Benfica’s new club president, set his sights on luring him away from Old Trafford. He told reporters: “One thing I know, Ruben Amorim will be the coach of Benfica one day.”

Bad to worse: Ruben Amorim has come under fire for his tactical inflexibility

Getty Images

Lopes attended the Manchester Derby last weekend, witnessing a 3-0 defeat which left the Red Devils boss under more pressure than ever. He has taken just eight wins from 31 Premier League outings since his appointment in November of last year, and a deadline has reportedly been set for him to right the ship.

According to the Daily Mirror, he has just three matches to get United on song before club bosses assess the team’s trajectory during the October international break. Those three matches will see them host Chelsea, visit Brentford, and return home to face Sunderland.

United would have to lay out an eye-watering £12m compensation package should they decide to relieve Amorim of his duties. On arrival in the northwest, he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal worth £6.5m per season. That came after the Red Devils paid Sporting CP £9.2m to pry him away from the Primeira Liga.

A five-man shortlist of replacements has already been drawn up should United decide to chop and change.

The Daily Mail report they will consider Fulham’s Marco Silva, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner, Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.

Amorim has continued to insist that he is prepared to do what it takes to reverse the club’s fortunes: “My message is that I'm going to give everything. I will do everything, always thinking about what is best for the club. So until I'm here, I will do my best. I really want to win games.”