Report: Mourinho Heading Back to Chelsea, Where Falcao Will Join Him

Jose Mourinho will make his long-awaited return to Chelsea in June, and, according to Bild, he’ll be joined at Stamford Bridge by Colombian striker Radamel Falcao.

The German outlet began the week by revealing the details of Mario Gotze’s summertime move to Bayern Munich, and now it seems they are first to the Chelsea scoop as well.

According to Tuesday’s report, Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season to resume control of the club he managed from 2004 to 2007. And, as a welcome gift, club owner Roman Abramovich will acquire Falcao, for whom he is willing pay €60 million.

Mourinho’s return will end months of speculation regarding his future.

Just this month he admitted he’d be having a discussion about his job with Madrid president Florentio Perez, telling reporters, “We will sit down quietly and talk about my future, like two friends.” (BBC)

And in late March, while in London to watch an international friendly between England and Brazil, he admitted he still had “emotional connections” to Chelsea, adding, “Chelsea is in my heart...One day I have to be back.” (The Sun)

If Bild’s report is as accurate as their Gotze story, that day will come in just over a month. Rafael Benitez is playing out the final weeks of a lame-duck stint as Chelsea manager, and as soon as he cleans out his office it’s likely Mourinho will move right in.

The first order of business for the 50-year-old will be breaking up the old establishment that he built nearly a decade ago.

The core of the Chelsea team that won the Champions League last season—Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba—was put together by Mourinho, and after chasing a succession of managers out of town the remnants of that establishment will have to be deconstructed before the club can move forward.

Mourinho, as the only figure many of his former players respect, may be the only person who can tear down the old and bring in the new, and while several exciting young players have come into the team this season they’ll need time to develop as a group before matching the success of their predecessors.

The fiercely loyal Mourinho could end up being the perfect manager for them. He would quickly determine which players were part of his plan and which were not, and he’d continue with the former group for the duration of his tenure. He’d also coax the sort of performances reserved for those coaches truly loved and respected by their players.

And then there is Falcao.

Given Atletico Madrid’s financial troubles, it has long been suspected the Colombia international would be shopped around at the end of the season, and with Abramovich prepared to meet Atletico’s valuation it would seem El Tigre is bound for the Premier League.

Not included in the Bild report a mention of Fernando Torres, who could still end up being part of a swap-deal for Falcao. Romelu Lukaku will likely be part of the Chelsea team next season, and with Demba Ba also in the mix Torres could find himself on the periphery of Mourinho’s squad, particularly with Falcao in the fold.