Why Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid could spark €22m Man Utd star’s transfer to Bernabeu | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho is very likely to raid Manchester United for Diogo Dalot if he takes over as the Real Madrid manager.

Mourinho is in charge of Benfica at the moment, but, according to The Athletic, Madrid want to bring him back to Estadio Bernabeu.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is ‘the main supporter of bringing back Mourinho’, according to the reputable publication.

There are others at Madrid who are against re-hiring Mourinho, who was in charge of Los Blancos between 2010 and 2013.

However, at (arguably?) the biggest club in the world, Perez is the supremo, and if he strikes a deal with Mourinho, then it will happen.

And, if it does, then there is a very good chance that Madrid will raid Manchester United for Diogo Dalot.

Back on December 13, 2025, TEAMtalk reported that Madrid are interested in signing Dalot from Man Utd in the summer of 2026.

It was reported at the time that Dalot’s versatility to play on the right and on the left side of defence is very appealing to the Spanish and European giants.

Man Utd director of football, Jason Wilcox, could sell Dalot at the end of the season, given that his next new contract would require the Premier League club to bump up his salary.

The report added: ‘While Wilcox and his staff are happy with Dalot as he is doing well, they are also aware that the former FC Porto player’s next deal would require a bit of a pay rise, so there are early-stage discussions about him.’

Dalot, who cost Man Utd €22million (£19.3m) in transfer fees when they signed him from FC Porto in 2018, is under contract at the Red Devils until 2028, with the Premier League giants having the option to extend it by another year.

Madrid signed full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and Alvaro Carreras from Benfica in the summer of 2025.

Man Utd star Diogo Dalot could follow Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid

After a difficult first half of the season, Alexander-Arnold has established himself as the first-choice right-back for Madrid, while Carreras is the number one left-back for Los Blancos.

Carreras has done relatively well for Madrid and is still only 23, but Alexander-Arnold has been underwhelming.

Dani Carvajal publicly mocked Alexander-Arnold against Real Betis in LaLiga last week for his lack of desire to run to get the ball back from an opposition player.

Carvajal is out of contract at Madrid at the end of the season, and Los Blancos will need a replacement – Dalot could be that player.

It was Mourinho who signed Dalot from FC Porto when he was the Man Utd manager.

The former Madrid manager said at the time: “Diogo is an extremely talented young defender with all the qualities to quickly become a great player for this club.

“He has all the attributes that a full-back needs: physicality, tactical intelligence and technical quality, combined with a Porto Academy mentality which prepares players for the maturity they need at the professional level

“In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe and we all believe he has a bright future ahead of him at Manchester United.”

Dalot has played mainly as a right-back for Man Utd this season and has been a major reason why Michael Carrick’s side are set to finish in the Premier League top five.

After two seasons without a major trophy, Madrid will be ruthless, and if Mourinho becomes the manager, then the Portuguese could try to sign Dalot.

At 27, Dalot is at the top of his game and is a very consistent player.

Having Alexander-Arnold and Dalot compete with each other for the right-back spot would be very healthy for Madrid and would leave no room for complacency.