Benfica manager, Jose Mourinho, has insisted there has been no contact between him and Real Madrid.
Mourinho, who was in charge of Los Blancos from 2010 to 2013, is believed to be president Florentino Perez’s preferred candidate.
Alvaro Arbeloa was put in interim charge of Madrid after Xabi Alonso’s dismissal, but would be replaced in the summer following a second consecutive season without a major trophy.
Mourinho has, however, claimed nobody from the LaLiga club has spoken to him yet.
“No one from Real Madrid has spoken to me. I can guarantee that,” he told reporters.
“I’ve been in football for so many years, and I’m used to these things… but there’s nothing from Real Madrid.
“I have a year to go on my Benfica contract, and that’s all.”