Benfica have reached an agreement with Marco Silva to replace José Mourinho as head coach, sources told ESPN’s Bruno Andrade.
Silva, who left Fulham this week after five years in charge of the London club, has agreed to a two-year contract with an option for an additional year, sources said.
The Lisbon side plans to make an official announcement next week, following the Real Madrid presidential elections on Sunday. Mourinho is expected to return to the LaLiga giants if Florentino Pérez secures reelection.
Silva oversaw Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge of the club. He proceeded to establish Fulham’s place in the top flight in subsequent years with the club finishing mid-table in each of the last four years. They posted 54 points in 2024-25, their highest tally in the Premier League.
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The Lisbon native previously coached Portuguese clubs Estoril and Sporting CP. He has also taken charge of Olympiacos, Hull City, Watford and Everton.
Earlier on Thursday, Benfica said that Real Madrid will have to pay €15 million ($17.4m) to sign José Mourinho as coach if Pérez is re-elected as Madrid president.
It comes a day after Pérez’s election campaign confirmed that Mourinho — previously in charge of Madrid between 2010 and 2013 — is Pérez’s chosen coach ahead of next season, as the club look to bounce back from two consecutive seasons without a major trophy.
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In a statement released to Portugal’s financial regulator, Benfica said that they had formally been made aware of Pérez’s desire to bring Mourinho back for his second spell in charge at the Bernabéu.
Mourinho, 63, has a contract with Benfica until June 2027, after joining the club last September.
While Mourinho led Benfica to an unbeaten league season, they finished only third in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
