Jose Mourinho rejected Real Madrid return before Carlo Ancelotti appointment

Jose Mourinho was approached by Real Madrid prior to the club appointing another former coach in Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year, but did not have to wait long for his next project and was appointed AS Roma head coach on a three-year deal ahead of the 2021/22 season.

However, despite not yet officially starting his new role, the Telegraph claims that Mourinho was 'sounded out' by former employers Real Madrid about his interest in returning to the Bernabeu at the end of last week.

Mourinho remains a popular figure in Madrid and is close with club owner Florentino Perez.

Despite his reign coinciding with perhaps the greatest club side of all time in Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, the Portuguese boss still managed to win La Liga and the Copa del Rey in his three-year spell in Spain, between 2010 and 2013.

Nonetheless, his return would have been sensational and bizarre to say the least.

However, it is reported that Mourinho knocked back any potential offer, 'conveying no interest' in a return to Real Madrid.

Instead, he is said to be excited about taking on his new role in the Italian capital after being courted by American owner Dan Friedkin.

Despite links to Mauricio Pochettino and B team coach Raul, Real Madrid moved quickly to appoint another old face in Ancelotti, who actually took over from Mourinho at the Bernabeu in 2013 and led Los Blancos to the Champions League title a year later.

Like Mourinho, Ancelotti's stock has fallen a little since his managerial heyday but he remains a widely respected and revered figure, who is now tasked with getting the club back on an even keel after a disappointing season mired by off-field turbulence.