Portuguese soccer coach Jose Mourinho poses for the media with supporters during his official presentation as Turkish’s Fenerbahce new coach at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Mourinho has signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahce. (AP Photo)
The Portuguese manager is reportedly keen to sign a loan deal with his former club Real Madrid to bring Guler back to Fenerbahce, where the youngster played for two seasons before joining the European champions.
Jose Mourinho has already put his focus on reshaping the Fenerbahce squad after becoming the new boss of the Turkish club a few days ago. The Portuguese manager is reportedly keen to sign a loan deal with his former club Real Madrid to bring Arda Guler back to Fenerbahce.
Guler played for the Istanbul-based side for two seasons before joining Real Madrid in July last year. The young midfielder signed a six-year deal with the Spanish side. Guler mostly warmed the bench in his debut season with the Los Blancos. In a bid to have more game time, Mourinho wants Gurel to return to Fenerbahce this summer, according to a report by Diario AS.
Mourinho, however, put forward a clause while speaking about the possibility of that loan deal with Real Madrid. The Fenerbahce manager wants the La Liga champions to pay 75 per cent of Guler’s salary to make the deal happen. Mourinho, however, feels the youngster will prefer to stay in Madrid for a few more seasons and try to secure a permanent place in the first team.
“If Arda Guler wants to come, why not? If he loves Fenerbahce, if he comes for free and if Real Madrid pays 75 per cent of his salary, we cannot say no. I think that Guler is one of the players who wants to continue in a big team like Real Madrid, so it will be difficult for him to return to Fenerbahce.” Mourinho said, as quoted by Diario AS.
Guler made only 12 appearances across all competitions in his first season with Real Madrid. The 19-year-old midfielder spent only 373 minutes on the pitch in La Liga and netted six goals. Real Madrid have recently completed the signing of Kylian Mbappe, bolstering their forward line. The arrival of the French star may force Guler to fall in the pecking order in the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahce, who will pay him £10.2 million per year. The deal reportedly includes a clause, which will let Mourinho leave the club if he gets an opportunity to manage the Portugal national team in future.