Real Madrid prepare move to sign Jose Mourinho from Manchester United's clutches

Jose Mourinho's move to Manchester United could be in jeopardy as Real Madrid are set to make a fresh attempt to sign the Portuguese manager in the summer. The Red Devils are yet to make a concrete offer for the former Chelsea manager and Madrid are looking at the man to take over from Zinedine Zidane, who has failed to live up to expectations this season.

The Mirror reports that Real would make a desperate attempt to bring Mourinho back to the Santiago Bernabeu should they fail to get past Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The La Liga club are trailing the leg 2-0 after an underwhelming performance in Germany and have their work cut out when they host the Bundesliga club at home in the reverse fixture.

Mourinho is believed to have made a gentleman's agreement with chief executive Ed Woodward over a move in the summer to Old Trafford but a lot has changed since then. Louis van Gaal has recently been granted permission to oversee United's pre-season tour in the summer while the Dutchman is optimistic that he has done enough to last one more year at the home of the 20-time champions.

The Red Devils are only a point off the top-four and are still active in the FA Cup, where they play West Ham at Upton Park in a quarter-final replay on Wednesday, 13 April. Should he win a cup and also guide United to a top-four finish, he could make a good case for him seeing out his contract.

Mourinho, who has reportedly rejected a move by Madrid in January as he was optimistic of getting the United job, is now reconsidering his options and would make a final call after the end of the season. Real won the league title in 2011/12 under Mourinho's guidance but has since failed to make any mark in the league, albeit having won the Champions League under Carlo Ancelotti.

Madrid president Florentino Perez is desperate to get his team back on track and believes that bringing in Mourinho would guarantee trophies, something other managers have failed to deliver in the recent past.