Mourinho, who guided his Inter side to the Serie A title last season, is once again flying high at the top of Italy's top-flight and is busy preparing for an emotional two-legged clash against former employers Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Meanwhile, current Real boss Manuel Pellegrini, despite also guiding his charges to the knockout stages of Europe's elite club competition, is under intense pressure to improve his side's domestic form, with the five point gap between themselves and league leaders Barcelona a growing concern for big spending Madrid president Florentino Perez.

With Real's penchant for hiring and firing coaches - even if they have been successful - Tuttosport has revealed that Perez is set to lure Mourinho to the Bernabeu, and that he is prepared to offer the Portuguese supremo some €7m per season in a bid to make the offer too tempting to refuse.

Should Real succeed in their attempt to land Mourinho, Tuttosport believes Bordeaux's Laurent Blanc, who was an Inter player between 1999 and 2001, will be the man to replace Mourinho.

On Thursday, another Italian publication, La Gazzetta dello Sport, revealed that that Mourinho could leave the club following problems with Mario Balotelli.