Jose Mourinho's Return to Real Madrid: Implications for Tchouaméni and Liverpool

Jose Mourinho’s looming return to Real Madrid is already rattling the transfer market – and the tremors could be felt all the way at Anfield.

The Portuguese coach is expected to be confirmed as Madrid’s new head coach, a comeback many in Spain now treat as a formality rather than a possibility. With that, the shape of Madrid’s summer is changing fast. Mourinho does not walk into a job; he reshapes it.

Spanish outlet Cope reports that high on his wish list is a new defensive midfielder, and one name sits at the top: Morten Hjulmand of Sporting CP. The Dane has drawn admirers across Europe, but a move to the Bernabéu would be a step into the elite. If Madrid push the button on Hjulmand, the real intrigue begins.

Because that is where Liverpool enter the story.

Liverpool have tracked Real Madrid’s midfield for years. They were serious suitors for Aurélien Tchouaméni before his 2022 move to Spain, a point the Frenchman himself acknowledged in an interview with Le Parisien when he admitted how close he came to joining the Reds. Eduardo Camavinga has also been regularly linked as the sort of all-action midfielder who could anchor Liverpool’s next era.

Now, the landscape is shifting. The Telegraph has reported that Tchouaméni could be allowed to leave Madrid this summer, with Manchester United already credited with interest. Mourinho’s desire for Hjulmand only sharpens that possibility. If the new coach wants his own specialist at the base of midfield, someone will be squeezed. Tchouaméni is the obvious pressure point.

Liverpool, still searching for a long-term defensive midfielder to lock down the centre of the pitch, suddenly see a door creak open again. They missed out on Tchouaméni once. They watched as Madrid’s pull, and the promise of the Bernabéu, won the race. Now the dynamic is different. The player is established, but his status is less secure.

The backdrop in Madrid has not helped him. As of 20 May 2026, Tchouaméni has racked up 49 appearances this season, a solid return on paper. Yet the mood around the club is anything but calm. Barcelona’s back-to-back La Liga titles have cut deep, stirring frustration in the stands and in the dressing room. When results wobble at Real Madrid, everything feels unstable.

That tension spilled into public view in early May. Tchouaméni was involved in a physical training-ground altercation with teammate Federico Valverde, an incident club president Florentino Pérez tried to play down but which quickly leaked into the media. For a club that lives under a permanent spotlight, those images and reports only fuelled the sense of a squad on edge.

Put that together with a change of manager and a potential big-money arrival in Tchouaméni’s position, and the picture is clear: his future is no longer guaranteed.

Manchester United see an opportunity. Liverpool can, too. They know exactly what they would be getting – a 26-year-old with Champions League experience, the athletic range to patrol midfield, and the technical quality to dictate from deep. For a Liverpool side intent on reinforcing the spine of their team, a player of that profile does not come onto the market often.

Much depends on Mourinho. If he insists on Hjulmand and Madrid back him, someone will be pushed towards the exit. If that someone is Tchouaméni, the Premier League’s giants will not need a second invitation.

The pieces are moving. The question now is simple: who gets there first?