Real Madrid: Who Are the Candidates to Replace Jose Mourinho Should He Leave?

While stories of Jose Mourinho's apparent departure from Real Madrid in the summer haven't reached boiling point, they have not died down and continue to rumble on in the background. Will it soon be time to call in the cavalry and replace the Special One at the Bernabeu?

The former Chelsea manager has recently been spotted in London, apparently looking to set up camp ahead of a return to the Premier League.

With the problems at Chelsea and an inclination that the only person to help them move on from the Mourinho era is Mourinho, there can be no doubting that the hierarchy at Real Madrid are bracing themselves for the worst possible news.

But at this stage, it seems as though Mourinho is well settled in Madrid, and chants of his name from the supporters in the Bernabeu can be regularly heard. As well as this, there might be a feeling that there is little to no one of high enough quality who is available to not only take on the job of boss at Real Madrid, but to challenge the might of fierce rivals Barcelona.

With Arsene Wenger becoming a talking point due to his 'falling out' with a number of Arsenal fans over the past few months, stories were quick to emerge linking the Frenchman with his long-term admirers at the Bernabeu.

But the change in fortunes for Arsenal on the pitch have laid much of that speculation to rest in the recent past.

Will the Special One pack up his bags even if Madrid win the La Liga title? At this stage I hardly think so. It would be a catastrophic blow to Florentino Perez, who has seemingly given Mourinho the keys to the Bernabeu and a license to continue to mould this young side into regular champions and leave Barcelona as second best.

But while there is still much uncertainty and conflicting reports as to who will be in the dugout at Real Madrid next season, who could be possible candidates to take over?

Why not look to Germany?

There can be no disguising the fact that German football is on the up. A continued flurry of spectacular youth products in recent years has seen even Real Madrid benefit.

The current Bundesliga Champions, Borussia Dortmund, have captured the imagination of most across Europe, with manager Jurgen Klopp carving out a title-winning side on the foundation of youth and pace, as well as technical mastery from a number of key players.

The Dortmund manager has been highly sought after, with Liverpool looking to take on Klopp prior to Kenny Dalglish's appointment just over 12 months ago.

What has maybe been the most impressive aspect over the course of the past two seasons for Klopp is the consistency of his team and their ability to remain at the top of the German league even without star midfielder Mario Gotze for much of the season, a permanent change in striker in Robert Lewandowski taking over responsibilities from Lucas Barrios, and, of course, the departure of influential midfield creator Nuri Sahin.

While Klopp and Dortmund have resisted the approaches of other teams in Europe over the past year, how likely is it they'll be able to turn down an approach from Real Madrid should they come calling?

There is already an investment in place for the summer, with Marco Reus arriving from Monchengladbach, and there can be no questioning that part of Reus' decision to snub German heavyweights Bayern Munich for Dortmund was due to Jurgen Klopp and the wonderful, attacking football that is on display at Signul Iduna Park.

But keeping in tune with a young, up-and-coming manager on the continent, and one who has got his team playing fantastically well with one of the best defensive records in Germany: Lucien Favre could tick the boxes as a potential replacement for Mourinho.

Yes, the jump from avoiding relegation with Gladbach last season to the dizzying heights of the Bernabeu could be too much, even if it does come via a very convincing title challenge with a team assembled on a budget that is dwarfed by the riches Mourinho has at his disposal.

Perhaps even in the eyes of those at Madrid, Lucien Favre doesn't quite represent the name to take the club forward.

But what about the responsibility handed to Pep Guardiola and his lack of experience at top-level management?

There are similarities, of course, in all four of these managers: They have their current teams playing attacking, quick, aesthetically pleasing and, at times, devastating football. With the players on hand at Real Madrid at the moment, Favre or Klopp would have no problem continuing in a similar style of football.

And then what of Germany's national coach Joachim Low?

A coach who took over the reins from Jurgen Klinsmann and guided Germany to the semifinals at the last World Cup and the finals at the 2008 Euros.

A coach who has managed big players and gotten them playing to his system and, despite having weaknesses in defence, has kept his squads competitive and among the tournament favourites.

Again, the question is whether Low would want to leave his post at the German national team. He's recently refused to be drawn in on speculation linking him with a job at club level, but, like Klopp, would he be able to resist the advances of Real Madrid?

With another likely choice in Carlo Ancelotti having taken the post at PSG in the past few months, and this summer maybe coming too soon for likely future candidate Andre Villas-Boas, there is certainly a diminished pool from which to choose.

Of course, there's always the option of going for a far more experienced manager who has coached the elite in Europe, but why go down that path when a younger manager for now seems the more attractive trend?

Again, it remains to be seen what Jose Mourinho's next move will be. If Real Madrid win the league title this season but fail in Europe, then why call it quits so soon? The squad is arguably the best in Europe and, as always, there will be improvements and tweaks made via the summer transfer window.

Conquering Europe is likely still a strong desire for Mourinho in Madrid prior to an always inevitable move back to England in the future.

From a number of aspects, Mourinho's work in Madrid is far from over.