José Mourinho has effectively told Real Madrid’s board they can put the chequebook away. At his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, ahead of the LaLiga home fixture against Real Sociedad, the Portuguese drew a line under a summer that has already brought six players through the door.
Speaking to reporters, Mourinho said the door was not bolted, but only if the club came to him.
“It’s still open, you never know what you can go through. At the moment everything is closed, but the president or José Ángel can call me,” he said.
“For me, the market is closed. I would like to stay with this squad this season.”
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Days earlier, speaking earlier in the week, he had been blunter.
“I’m not saying there won’t be more signings because the market is open, but if you ask me directly whether it’s closed for me, yes. It’s closed.”
Six through the door, a €240m rebuild
The comments come at the end of a busy Bernabéu summer. Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomande, Carlos Espí and Denzel Dumfries have all signed on, at a combined outlay of around €240m according to reporting from Yahoo Sports.
Real Madrid are holding the remaining window open only in case of a serious injury or an unplanned departure.
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The names Mourinho leaned on
Mourinho did not pretend the depth chart looked thin. Asked at his season-opening press conference on 21 August whether the midfield needed reinforcement, he pointed at the players already in the building.
“I don’t think we have a deficit. When you have Tchouameni, Camavinga, Valverde, Bernardo, Arda… it’s not that we have a problem,” he told reporters.
The exits Madrid cannot control
The unfinished business is at the exit door. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga have both attracted Premier League interest, and Raúl Asencio is on the radar of clubs still looking for a late defender. Camavinga, according to Yahoo Sports, is resisting a move.
Real Madrid have made clear they will not push anyone out. Federico Valverde has already turned down offers to leave.
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Real Sociedad are next. The LaLiga window shuts on 31 August.
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