Real Madrid expected to announce the exit of Jose Mourinho

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho

Monday 20 May 2013

Real Madrid have called an unscheduled press conference for 7pm (BST) tonight where it is expected the departure of Jose Mourinho will be confirmed.

The Independent reported earlier today that club president Florentino Perez was holding a directors meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu this afternoon where the timing of the announcement of Mourinho's departure and the manner of his exit were to be discussed.

Perez will speak to the media during this evening's press conference a statement on Real's website said. Further details on why the press conference had been called were not forthcoming.

With the departure from Paris St-Germain of Carlo Ancelotti, Mourinho's likely replacement, all but confirmed the Portuguese's exit has needed to be rubber-stamped by the Madrid board.

Real have two games of the season remaining but with their hopes of winning the title already extinguished and last Friday's King's Cup defeat being the last meaningful game of the season, it is expected Mourinho will be allowed to depart immediately.

Once his departure is confirmed, nothing will stand in the way of him taking the vacant position as manager of Chelsea. There is little doubt that he will return to Stamford Bridge where he spent three successful years between 2004 and 2007.

With Ancelotti now apparently available and the atmosphere at Real Madrid understood to be at breaking point, Perez has been urged to take action.

He attended a Real Madrid B-team match on Saturday with the club's second string playing Lugo in Spain's second division. There were around 2,000 supporters at the game and he was vocally encouraged to move to bring Mourinho's three-year reign at the club to an end.

Mourinho and Madrid have had to tread carefully in recent weeks because when the two parties signed a contract extension last year keeping them together until 2016 there was a £10m penalty applicable to either side if the deal was broken at the end of the season.

But with both parties wanting out, a gentleman's pact has been agreed in principal allowing an amicable parting of the ways, with neither the outgoing coach nor the club paying for the failure to see out the current deal.

After Mourinho was sent off in the Spanish cup final defeat, several directors were planning to push for his instant removal in today's meeting and Alberto Toril, the B-team coach, is poised to step forward to take charge for the last two games of the season.

Mourinho has had a number of fall-outs during his reign as Real Madrid manager - none more serious though than with goalkeeper Iker Casillas. It will not go unnoticed that it is the Spain captain's birthday today.