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Mourinho: Real Madrid, Inter Milan links 'tremendous honour'

Jose Mourinho has said it would be a "tremendous honour" to manage one of his former clubs, amid links with a return to either Inter Milan or Real Madrid.

With Santiago Solari under pressure at the Bernabeu, Mourinho -- who was sacked by Manchester United in December -- emerged as a potential candidate, having left the club on good terms with president Florentino Perez in 2013, while he remains a fan favourite at Inter, after guiding them to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League Treble in 2010.

Mourinho said he was happy at being linked with a return, but prefers not to be talked about in public about when out of work.

"If any professional -- a manager or a player -- is wanted by a former club, it means we did something positive," he told Correo da Manha. "I felt this when I went back to Chelsea [in 2013.]

"When any professional returns to a club it is a tremendous honour. They're not signing someone they don't know, they are going for someone they know, someone who has already been there.

"But when I am not managing, I love that people do not talk about me and the best way to achieve that is for me to also not talk."

Benfica sacked Rui Vitoria as manager last week, leading to reports Mourinho was under consideration.

However, the two-time Champions League winning manager has dismissed any notion of him taking over at the Estadio da Luz.

"I have no intention of working in Portugal at all," he said. "The best way to respect a great club [Benfica] and a great president is to say that I was not approached.

"Today, I am not an option for Benfica"

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