Mourinho's First Real Madrid Surprise: He Wants Marcus Rashford and Morten Hjulmand

Returning to Real Madrid after 13 years, Jose Mourinho is preparing to make a splash the moment the transfer window opens, with two surprises. According to Sky Sports and Transfermarkt, the Portuguese manager submitted two main transfer requests to Florentino Pérez's board before signing his contract: Manchester United's 28-year-old English forward Marcus Rashford and Sporting Lisbon's 26-year-old Danish international midfielder Morten Hjulmand. These choices reveal the DNA of the project Mourinho has planned for Los Blancos: pacy wide forward + strong pivot midfielder.

The backstory of Rashford's transfer is dramatic. After his relationship with Old Trafford completely broke down at the end of the 2024-25 season, the player joined Barcelona on a one-year loan in summer 2025. He hit excellent form early in the season at the Catalans but slumped from March and scored just 1 goal in his last 7 matches. According to The Athletic and Sport, Barcelona is considering signing Rashford permanently but doesn't want to pay more than €40 million — United is demanding €50 million. In this stalemate, Mourinho stepped in: the Portuguese has expressed that he sees Rashford as "a world-class player in the right system." The tension between them during their time at United seems forgotten.

The more surprising target is Hjulmand. According to Tribuna and Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old Danish midfielder is Mourinho's first condition. Hjulmand is one of the players Mourinho watched closely at Sporting CP; he played a key role in Sporting's Portuguese Liga title in 2024-25. Mourinho's pick to solve Real Madrid's midfield crisis: a "mature, professional" midfielder following the Tchouameni-Valverde dressing-room drama. Hjulmand's cost is expected to be around €60-70 million.

The backdrop to all this is Real Madrid's financial crisis. With only €3.4 million in liquid funds, the club can't sign without selling first. So Mourinho's two transfer requests directly raise the "who gets sold" question. Vinicius Junior's summer transfer is on the agenda (according to Mundiario, his toxic relationship with Alonso played a role); Rodrygo is also on the sale list. Mourinho's decision is to build a project around Mbappé — meaning one or both of the two Brazilians could leave. Federico Valverde, however, looks set to stay due to Mourinho's "protective" stance.

There's a strategic reason for Mourinho's two choices. During his first Real Madrid spell (2010-2013) 13 years ago, the Portuguese won La Liga with 100 points through defensive discipline and quick counter-attacks. He wants to apply the same system in 2026-27: Hjulmand as pivot, Bellingham as "warrior," Mbappé and Vinicius/Rashford as the "two bullets." Official transfer announcements are expected after Mourinho's official appointment — likely after Real Madrid's final league match on Monday, May 25. After 13 years apart, "The Special One" begins a new chapter at the Bernabéu.

Source: Based on reports from Transfermarkt, Sky Sports, The Athletic, Sport, Tribuna, FootballTransfers and TEAMtalk on Mourinho's return to Real Madrid and his transfer requests.