Jose Mourinhos stance on Chelsea return with Roma open to departure of coach

Jose Mourinho would be interested in rejoining Chelsea for a third spell at Stamford Bridge if the Blues approach Roma to ask for permission to speak to their former manager, according to reports. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is on the lookout for a new permanent boss to succeed interim head coach Frank Lampard at the end of the season. He is thought to be considering the possibility of appointing Mourinho, who has been in charge of Roma since 2021.

The 60-year-old is only tied down until the summer of 2024 as things stand and is yet to agree extended terms with Roma, which suggests that he could soon be on his way out if his situation does not change over the coming weeks and months. It seems as though Roma are not overly concerned about the possibility of losing Mourinho in advance of next season, with the Italian heavyweights reportedly open to his departure if Chelsea or any other interested clubs come calling.

That’s according to Foot Mercato, who are reporting that Mourinho is ready to leave Roma in search of a new challenge but would only be willing to consider joining certain sides, with the Blues and Paris Saint-Germain among those in question. It is said that the Portuguese boss would push to depart the Stadio Olimpico in the event of a formal approach from Chelsea, although he is not interested in the possibility of a lucrative move to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

Mourinho is not the only contender to succeed Lampard at Chelsea, though, with several other high-profile names said to be under consideration by those in power at Stamford Bridge. The likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique are also believed to be firmly in the running and it remains to be seen which direction the Blues will go in as they look to ramp up their search process over the next few weeks.

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Chelsea have, of course, already been managed by Mourinho twice and the former Blues boss previously insisted that he will always have a soft spot for the club he joined back in 2004 before going on to establish himself as one of the finest head coaches the world has ever seen.

“Of course, my English connection is Chelsea, that’s the way I see things, as a Chelsea man after two periods of Chelsea and six years,” Mourinho told BT Sport towards the end of last season.

However, it seems as though not everybody would be on board with Mourinho returning to manage the Blues for a third time in spite of his incredibly successful legacy in west London. Former Chelsea defender Paul Parker recently declared that he would rather have Mauricio Pochettino in charge, urging his old club to avoid looking back to the past in their efforts to move forward.

“He [Pochettino] did amazingly well during his time at Tottenham, he got them into the top four, he took them to the Champions League final and the fans absolutely loved him,” said Parker. “He plays entertaining football and he could do big things at Chelsea from next season.

“The last person I want to see is Jose Mourinho and I don’t think that they want him back for the third time. They are tired of his arrogance and they have to move on, even though it would be typical for the Blues to do something like that and hire him.”

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