Benfica are closing in on the appointment of Marco Silva as head coach as they look to replace Jose Mourinho.Mourinho will take over as boss of Real Madrid on the assumption Florentino Perez wins the presidential election on Sunday, as expected, against challenger Enrique Riquelme.The election has caused a delay in appointing Mourinho, meaning Madrid will have to pay up to 15million in compensation to Benfica, who have been in negotiations with Silva for several days.The Portuguese has been at Fulham for five years and helped establish them as a mid-table Premier League club.The 48-year-olds contract expires at the end of the month and despite being offered fresh terms by the Cottagers, he is eager to return to his home city of Lisbon.Silva gets Benfica assurances he cravedA report in Portuguese newspaper A Bola claims Silva sought assurances from Benfica president Rui Costa and sporting director Mario Branca that he would play a significant role in the transformation of the squad and now they have been granted, the move can progress.Silva has been offered a 5million joining fee and a similar annual salary having been presented with a new deal by Fulham that was worth 7.5m a year.His appointment should be confirmed in the next few days, allowing both Benfica and Fulham to press on with their summer plans.Fulham had hoped to lure Andoni Iraola to Craven Cottage as his replacement but the Spaniard appears set to join Liverpool. Topics Fulham F.C. Real Madrid CF S.L. Benfica Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Premier League 2025/26 review: From Arsenal and Man City to Tottenham and Wolves, every clubs season rated Ben Miller 2nd June, 2026 Spain boss De la Fuente takes sly dig at Mourinho over Real Madrid job: Its important to value the Spanish coach Jon Fisher 1st June, 2026 Manchester City star Rodri refuses to rule out Real Madrid move: Well see after the World Cup Jon Fisher 1st June, 2026 Real Madrid named most valuable club in the world Mitch Fretton 29th May, 2026 Mourinho reportedly signs three-year contract at Real Madrid Nicholas McGee 29th May, 2026 Real Madrid: Perez claims hes yet to speak with Mourinho about replacing Arbeloa Nicholas McGee 29th May, 2026
