Real Madrid wants Mourinho for 2010-11 season - report

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MADRID, Feb 19, 2010 (AFP) - Real Madrid want Inter Milan's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho to replace embattled Manuel Pellegrini next season, sports daily Marca reported Friday.

"Mourinho still has three years left with Inter but there is a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave in June," it said, adding the Spanish giant's interest had been "well received" by the former Chelsea coach.

Pellegrini, 56, is under pressure following Real's 1-0 Champions League defeat away to Lyon and the club's embarrassing elimination by third division side Alcorcon from the Spanish Cup late last year.

The Champions League final will be held at Real's Santiago Bernabeu stadium on May 22 and the club, which spent nearly 250 million euros (340 million dollars) on fresh talent before the start of the season, has made winning the tournament its top priority.

Real's loss to Lyon has put its Champions League campaign in jeopardy and Pellegrini has been criticised by Spain's sports media for failing to place new stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka into a coherent team structure.

The club lies in second place in La Liga, two points behind its arch-rival and the reigning European champions Barcelona.

The Chilean coach, a qualified civil engineer, joined Real from Villarreal in June 2009 for one season after leading the Spanish club to a fifth-place finish.

Since 2000 Real has had ten coaches, an average of one per year: Vicente del Bosque, Carlos Queiroz, Jose Antonio Camacho, Mariano Garcia Remon, Wanderley Luxemburgo, Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster, Juande Ramos and Pellegrini.