Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho may return to Madrid's «Real» and is already preparing a list of players to strengthen the team. Among the main transfer candidates is Ukraine national team's defender Ilya Zabarnyi, who currently plays for French PSG. This is reported by NV Sport.
Mourinho wants to see Zabarnyi at “Real”
According to 20 Minutes TV journalist Ashil Ash, Mourinho has already passed the management of the Madrid club a list of players he would like to invite after returning to Spain.
The Ukrainian central defender Ilya Zabarnyi is included in this list.
However, PSG plans not to sell the Ukrainian in the summer of 2026. The club considers him an important part of the future lineup.
How Zabarnyi is spending the season at PSG
Ilya Zabarnyi moved to PSG in the summer of 2025 from the English club «Bournemouth». For the transfer of the Ukrainian, the French club paid 63 million euros.
In his debut season for PSG, the defender played 36 matches in all competitions and scored one goal.
The Transfermarkt portal values the player at 45 million euros, and his contract with the Paris club runs until the summer of 2030.
Jose Mourinho has already managed «Real» from 2010 to 2013. During that time, he won the Spanish Championship, Cup, and Super Cup with the Madrid club.