Jose Mourinho - right man for Madrid says Perez
President Florentino Perez believes Jose Mourinho is the perfect man to give Real Madrid the "fresh impulse" he feels the Spanish giants needs in the wake of yet another disappointing campaign.
Perez confirmed at a press conference at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening that the club had parted company with coach Manuel Pellegrini and that Mourinho was their chosen replacement for the Chilean.
Madrid will have to wait until Mourinho resolves his contract negotiations with Inter Milan, with whom he has a deal until June 2012, to confirm the Portuguese as their new coach.
However, it seems only a matter of time before Mourinho becomes Madrid's 11th manager in seven years, and Perez is adamant the hugely successful 47-year-old is the right person for the job.
"The change of coach is always difficult, but we are convinced that after this first year and this first phase, now is the moment to give a fresh impulse to our project," he said.
"I am absolutely convinced that the incorporation of Mourinho, who is one of the best coaches in the world - if not the best - is an opportunity that, in this Madrid, which fights permanently for excellence, we couldn't let pass us by."
Perez sanctioned a 250million-euro spending spree on new players last summer after returning to the Madrid presidency for the second time.
But Madrid finished the season empty-handed for the second successive campaign, leading to the departure of Pellegrini midway through a two-year contract.
Madrid have now won just two major trophies in the last seven years, whilst being knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in each of the last six editions.
"A year ago there was a huge and unprecedented effort to configure and put together a squad capable of aspiring to the maximum," said Perez.
"We have advanced a lot, but we still have a lot of ground to cover.
"This club demands the maximum and is always in search of excellence.
"We have reflected a lot on this season. It's not just not winning a title. We consider that we are in a suitable moment to bet on one of the best coaches in the world, and the opportunity to bring him to the club is there."
Mourinho, who led Inter to an unprecedented treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League titles this season, is under contract with the Nerazzurri for another two years but has a get-out clause in his deal which will be exercised should Madrid meet the fee of 16million euros.
Mourinho is confident he will be coaching in Spain next season and has no doubt Madrid will pay whatever is required to secure his services.
The former Chelsea and Porto manager met with Inter's finance director Rinaldo Ghelfi in Milan earlier yesterday and afterwards told reporters: "Now I am on holiday, then I will go and work in Spain."
Perez added: "There is nobody on the board who has given an opinion against the signing of Jose Mourinho, on the contrary, they are enthusiastic at being able to recruit one of the best coaches in the world."
JOSE MOURINHO FACTFILE
1963: Born on January 26. Father Felix Mourinho was a former Portugal goalkeeper.
1992: Takes first high-profile role in football when being appointed to work under Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon after middle-ranking jobs at Estrela
Amadora and Vitoria Setubal. Begins as Robson's translator before becoming involved in team affairs.
1993: Moves on with Robson when the veteran coach goes to Porto.
1996: Joins Barcelona in the summer of 1996 as assistant coach to Robson.
1997: Stays on at the Nou Camp after Robson departs, taking up a role under new coach Louis van Gaal.
2000: Takes his first head coaching job at Benfica but lasts just nine games before resigning due to problems in the boardroom.
2001: Appointed coach of Uniao de Leiria.
2002: Joins Porto.
2003: In Mourinho's first full season in charge, Porto win the treble of domestic league and cup, and UEFA Cup.
2004: Having already successfully defended their Portuguese league title, Porto win the Champions League title in Monaco on May 26 with a 3-0 victory over Monaco.
June 2 - Appointed manager of Chelsea.
2005: February 23 - Following a 2-1 defeat at Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League first knock-out round, Mourinho claims Barca manager Frank Rijkaard went into referee Anders Frisk's dressing room at half-time.
February 27 - Wins first trophy with Chelsea, who beat Liverpool 3-2 in Carling Cup final.
March 21 - UEFA charge Mourinho, assistant boss Steve Clarke and security official Les Miles with making "wrong and unfounded" statements about the alleged meeting between Frisk and Rijkaard.
March 31 - Handed two-match touchline ban and 20,000 Swiss francs fine by UEFA's control and disciplinary body. Club fined 75,000 Swiss francs.
April - Chelsea seal Barclays Premiership title with 2-0 win at Bolton.
June - Found to be in breach of Premier League rules over Chelsea's illegal approach to Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole. Fined £200,000 by the Premier League, later reduced to £75,000 on appeal.
2006: April - Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 to win their second consecutive Premiership title and Mourinho's fourth domestic title in a row.
2007: February - Wins a second Carling Cup, beating Arsenal 2-1.
May - Loses Champions League semi-final to Rafael Benitez's Liverpool on penalties after United win the league. Wins FA Cup with extra-time defeat of United.
August - Chelsea set a new record of 64 unbeaten home matches in the English top flight with a win over Birmingham.
September - Leaves Chelsea by "mutual consent".
2008: June - Appointed Inter Milan boss on a three-year contract.
August - Wins his first trophy with Inter, beating Roma to the Italian Supercup.
2009: March 11 - Inter go out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage after a 2-0 aggregate defeat by Manchester United.
May 16 - Celebrates winning the Scudetto at the first attempt after rivals AC Milan suffer a 2-1 defeat against Udinese.
May 25 - Responds to speculation linking him to Real Madrid by saying there is "a 0.01%" chance he will leave the club. Inter issue a statement later in the day announcing a contract extension until 2012.
December 26 - Reiterates his intention to see out his contract with Inter.
2010: March 16 - Sees his Inter side knock former club Chelsea out of the Champions League with a 3-1 aggregate victory in their last 16 tie.
April 28 - A magnificent defensive effort sees Inter reach the Champions League final thanks to a 3-2 aggregate win over Barcelona.
May 5 - Inter beat Roma 1-0 to lift the Coppa Italia.
May 16 - Mourinho wins his second Scudetto title as Inter beat Siena 1-0 to secure the title, but admits he is unsure if he will be at the San Siro next season.
May 22 - Guides Inter to an historic treble as they win the Champions League for the first time in 45 years with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich.
June 26 - Madrid part company with coach Manuel Pellegrini and confirm they intend to appoint Mourinho as new coach once he has resolved his contract with Inter.
