Jose Mourinho wants Florentino Perez to raid one of his former clubs for their star player

Jose Mourinho has put a centre-back at the top of his Real Madrid wish list as the club prepares for one of the biggest squad overhauls in its recent history.

The self-proclaimed 'Special One' is set to be confirmed as Madrid's new head coach after Florentino Perez was re-elected as club president on Sunday following his victory over rival candidate Enrique Riquelme.

Mourinho has a difficult job on his hands. On the field, poor performances have led to another trophyless season. Off the field, their dressing room is fractured following fall-outs and heated altercations.

After such a disappointing campaign, many expect the club to make a statement of intent this summer, and Mourinho has been involved in planning for next season, according to Spanish publication Defensa Central.

The 63-year-old is said to have put a central defender at the top of his wanted list, with Tottenham's Micky van de Ven being identified as someone who 'ticks all the boxes' for Mourinho.

A source close to Van de Ven's camp told The Mirror: "Micky ticks all the boxes for Mourinho. Real are ready to go for him."

Real Madrid want Van de Ven, according to The Mirror.

Van de Ven will not come cheap. His asking price could exceed £75 million, according to a report from Spanish publication Marca, which claims the Dutchman is keen to leave the North London club this summer.

However, the defender appeared to indicate that his future remains with the Premier League club following Tottenham's final-day victory over Everton.

Asked if he was confident about the club showing signs of improvement, Van de Ven said: "Really confident. I think we have the right people now here. The right manager."

He added: "I’m confident we can do more next year because obviously as you said, two years in a row we end up 17th, it was unacceptable, especially for a club like Spurs.

"Things are going to need to change and we’re going to see that’s going to happen. But we’re going to do everything about it and I’m confident we’re going to do way better than the last two seasons."

Van de Ven has been one of Tottenham's standout performers since his £34.5 million move from Wolfsburg in 2023. He has three years left on his current deal, which puts Spurs in a strong position ahead of the summer.