Report: Mourinho still in limbo

The much-anticipated move of Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho to Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid was looking decidedly muddled Thursday with the self-styled "special one" seemingly in limbo, The Times reported.

Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president, called a press conference Wednesday, where he announced the departure of Manuel Pellegrini, the incumbent, and stated that Mourinho would be taking over as coach.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

---

• Mourinho the man to clean up Real
• Trecker: Proof defense wins titles

---

• CL glory Mourinho's top priority
• Mourinho unveiled as Madrid coach
• Real confirms Mourinho appointment
• Hoeness proud of Bayern achievement
• Milito fires Inter to European glory

---

• Video: Nerazzurri trophy celebration
• Video: Full highlights of CL final
• Video: Milito wins Man of the Match
• Video: Best of 2009-10 CL season

---

• Photos: Champions League Final
• Photos: Team of the tournament

 

“We are proud of the fact that we have the best in every area of the club and we believe the time has come to sign a great manager,” he said.

“We have the opportunity to sign the world’s greatest, we can’t let it slip away.”

The curious bit was that Perez was announcing the appointment of a man yet to be released by his employer. Mourinho remains coach of Inter, having failed so far to free himself from his contract, which expires in 2012.

“We will hire him as soon as he resolves his contractual issue with Inter,” Perez said. “Note that I am not saying he will come if he sorts things out with Inter. I’m saying, he will come, period.”

Last summer, when Mourinho extended his contract with Inter, becoming the highest-paid coach in the world, he inserted a release clause, allowing him to buy out his contract.

The buyout sum was long thought to be in the region of €6 million to €8 million (about US$7.3m to $9.7m), but Massimo Moratti, the Inter president, revealed this week that it actually amounts to €16m and that somebody -- whether Real Madrid or Mourinho himself -- will have to pay it if he is to leave the club.

“We won’t be paying any part of the release clause, it has nothing to do with us,” Perez said. “There’s not much we can do, it’s down to Mourinho and Inter to work things out.”

Mourinho met Rinaldo Ghelfi, the Inter vice-president, in a Milanese coffee shop Wednesday afternoon. Both men emerged without confirming that the release clause had been paid or that a deal had been struck.

“It’s not over yet, but... ” Mourinho said as he got into a white BMW.

He paused to add that it was “impossible” that he would stay and that he planned to go on holiday before “going to work in Spain.”

Unconfirmed reports in Madrid suggested that Mourinho was led to believe that Inter would waive payment of the release clause out of gratitude for winning the Champions League.

An Inter source said that, while the final decision was down to Moratti, it would be extremely unlikely that they would let him walk for free, given that Mourinho, who is “already well remunerated,” is also due to receive a bonus for winning the Champions League and that there is no reason to give him, effectively, another €16 million.