Mourinho rules out pursuing Lamine Yamal, backs current Real Madrid squad

Jose Mourinho told El Chiringuito on 20 August 2026 that he would not pursue signing FC Barcelona attacker Lamine Yamal for Real Madrid, saying the club already have a "top-level" squad as he begins his return to the club.

Barcelona enter the new season as reigning champions and, the report said, open the campaign with plenty of confidence, while Real Madrid are starting a period of major change marked by Mourinho’s return to the bench. The 19-year-old Yamal was described in the article as having been instrumental for Spain in winning the FIFA World Cup this summer and two years earlier the European Championship under Luis de la Fuente. The piece also noted that Yamal is widely viewed as one of the world’s top players.

El Chiringuito asked Mourinho whether he wanted Yamal in Madrid; the manager answered directly. He responded: “No. He is a great player without a doubt, a young man with an incredible margin of progression. “It is not normal at his age to be European and world champion, but we have a top squad, I would not make a hole for anyone. They are mine and mine are the best.“ The exchange contained both praise for the teenager’s talent and a clear refusal to pursue a transfer.

The report said Mourinho insists he prefers to make do with what he has at the Santiago Bernabéu. It added that his comment made it obvious that, while he admires the teenager’s talent, he has no intention of disturbing his existing Real Madrid group to chase him. That stance was presented as a reaffirmation of the current squad hierarchy.

Khel Now framed the statements as both a message of comfort to the Real Madrid dressing room and a display of respect to Barcelona at the start of the season. The article also stated that the 2026-27 campaign is likely to be heated from the first rounds and that Mourinho feels he already has a top squad to compete for the game.

Mourinho’s return to the LaLiga club will begin with a match scheduled for Sunday at 1 am IST on 23rd August, the article concluded, and he will start that period at the Santiago Bernabéu aiming to restore the team’s fortunes.