Jose Mourinho's Return to Real Madrid and Its Impact on Liverpool
Jose Mourinho’s looming return to Real Madrid is already casting a long shadow over Europe’s summer transfer market – and the ripple could reach all the way to Anfield.
Mourinho’s Madrid Blueprint
All serious reporting points in the same direction: barring a late twist, Mourinho is set to be confirmed as Real Madrid’s new head coach. The reunion many in Madrid have craved is on its way.
That means one thing immediately – squad surgery.
Spanish outlet Cope reports that Mourinho has identified a new defensive midfielder as a priority and has zeroed in on Morten Hjulmand of Sporting CP. The Dane has been tracked by clubs across the continent, but a call from the Bernabéu changes the tone of any negotiation. If Madrid move, they tend to move decisively.
And if Hjulmand walks through the door, someone else is likely to be pushed towards it.
Alarm Bells at Anfield
Liverpool are not believed to be in the front row for Hjulmand. Their interest lies elsewhere in Madrid’s midfield, where admiration has been long-standing and very public.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga have both been repeatedly linked with Liverpool over the past few years. Tchouameni even admitted in an interview with Le Parisien that he came close to joining the Reds back in 2022 before choosing Madrid.
Now, that old story suddenly feels relevant again.
Reports in England, including from the Telegraph, suggest Tchouameni could be allowed to leave this summer, with Manchester United already circling. If Mourinho insists on bringing in Hjulmand as his enforcer, the Frenchman’s position becomes far less secure.
For Liverpool, who still lack a true specialist defensive midfielder to anchor their evolving midfield, that is the sort of opportunity that rarely presents itself twice.
Tchouameni Under Strain in Spain
The timing is delicate. As of 20 May 2026, Tchouameni is in the middle of a turbulent spell at Real Madrid.
On paper, 49 appearances this season tell the story of a player trusted and heavily used. On the pitch and around the club, the picture is far less straightforward. Barcelona’s back-to-back La Liga title wins have cranked up the pressure at Madrid, sharpening every debate, every selection, every training session.
In early May, that tension snapped. Tchouameni became involved in a physical training-ground altercation with teammate Federico Valverde. President Florentino Pérez moved quickly to play the incident down publicly, but details leaked out and the episode fed a sense of unease around the squad.
In isolation, a flare-up between competitive midfielders might be dismissed as standard elite-football friction. In the context of a new manager arriving, a fanbase demanding a reset, and a club stung by domestic failure, it feels more significant.
A Market About to Move
This is where the threads pull together.
Mourinho wants a defensive midfielder in his own image. Hjulmand fits the brief and is firmly on his list. Tchouameni, already under scrutiny and caught in the glare of Madrid’s frustrations, suddenly looks like a high-value asset who could be cashed in to reshape the squad.
Manchester United have been named as suitors. Liverpool know the player, like the profile, and need exactly that kind of presence at the base of their midfield.
The door that nearly opened in 2022 might not stay ajar for long this time.
