Reports from global media revealed today, Wednesday, that the Portuguese club Benfica has entered into advanced negotiations with the famous coach José Mourinho to take over the technical leadership of the team in the upcoming period, following the club's management decision to part ways with Bruno Lage.

The decision to part ways came after the surprising defeat Benfica suffered against Qarabag of Azerbaijan with a score of 3-2 in the first round of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, which sparked anger among fans and intensified criticism towards Lage.

The reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano clarified via his official account on the platform X that Benfica's management has opened advanced channels of communication with Mourinho, and that the Portuguese coach has expressed openness to the idea of returning to coaching immediately, which increases the chances of reaching a near agreement between the two parties.

It is worth mentioning that Mourinho was recently dismissed from his position as coach of the Turkish team Fenerbahçe, following a loss to Benfica itself in the qualifying league for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

Mourinho has a successful coaching career in Portugal, notably leading Porto to win the UEFA Champions League title in 2004.