Next Real Madrid manager: Los Blancos start 'Jose Mourinho operation' in search for Alvaro Arbeloa replacement

Real Madrid have reportedly made 'direct contact' with their former manager, Jose Mourinho, over a potential return to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos are currently in crisis following numerous reports over the last week about a dressing room in disarray.

Kylian Mbappe drew criticism when he recently travelled to Italy with his girlfriend, rather than continuing his injury recovery at the club.

Alvaro Carreras released a statement earlier this week following the report that he had been slapped by Antonio Rudiger.

Those incidents were then made to look relatively minor when the news leaked of an altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni.

The animosity between the pair started on Wednesday, before it escalated after Thursday's training session, when a confrontation led to Valverde sustaining a head injury.

The club have heavily fined the pair, but there is still a desperate need for the board to find a suitable manager to change the culture and rebuild a broken dressing room.

Real Madrid make Mourinho contact

Mourinho has emerged as a possible candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who has found life difficult since replacing Xabi Alonso in January.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid are now stepping up their pursuit of the current Benfica boss.

The update claims that the club have started the 'operation' by making 'direct contacts' with the two-time Champions League winner.

Mourinho is said to be open to the possibility of returning to the club he left in 2013 after winning a league title, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Benfica are keen to retain Mourinho's services, but they are aware of Real Madrid's interest, and their power is limited due to a break clause in the manager's contract.

Ultimately, the power appears to lie with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who will have the final say as to whether the Portuguese coach is the right man to take the club forward.

Is Mourinho the man to save Real Madrid?

Mourinho is a combustible figure and could add fuel to the fire at a club lacking unity.

However, a disastrous season has highlighted Real Madrid's need to bring in an authority figure capable of commanding respect from some of the game's biggest names.

Jurgen Klopp falls into the category of an authority figure, but he does not seem to be in a rush to return to management.

Mauricio Pochettino is another name that has been mentioned, but his difficulties at Paris Saint-Germain may concern the Real Madrid hierarchy about whether he can control their current squad.

In contrast, Mourinho already has experience working with some major names at Real Madrid after coaching the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka and Sergio Ramos during his first time in charge.

The obvious risk is that Mourinho could alienate members of the squad, but in some ways, this is a group of players that needs a reality check and told some harsh truths if the club are to avoid repeating the disappointments from the past two seasons.