Jose Mourinho will leave Madrid at the end of the season after three years in charge
By his own admission
Mourinho, who won one La Liga crown and a Copa del Rey with Real after
taking charge in 2010, has endured what he has called his "worst season"
in management.
"The club and manager agree that the timing is right to bring the relationship to an end," said Perez.
"On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Jose Mourinho for all his hard work over the last three years."
Mourinho will stay on for
Real's remaining league fixtures, with an away trip to Real Sociedad on
May 26 and a final home game at the Bernabeu on June 1 against Osasuna.
Real will finish second in La Liga this year, trailing champions Barcelona by 12 points after 36 rounds.
The parting of ways comes
three days after Mourinho was sent off as Real lost the Copa del Rey
final 2-1 to Atletico Madrid, a first defeat by their neighbors in 14
years.
Real president Perez
explained that the decision was a "mutual agreement", so paving the way
for Mourinho to make a return to England's Premier League.
"I know in England I am loved," said the Portuguese last month. "I know I am loved by some clubs, especially one."
The 50-year-old has been
heavily linked with a return to former club Chelsea, where he won two
Premier League titles and one FA Cup between 2004 and 2007.
This year's Europa
League champions will be without a coach on June 1, with the contract
for interim manager Rafa Benitez expiring at the end of May.
The decision to part
ways via "mutual agreement" means neither Real nor Mourinho will have to
pay one another millions of dollars in compensation had either of them
broken the terms of their contract.
After winning La Liga last year, Mourinho had signed a new four-year deal with the Merengues.
The compensation package
was believed to be a potential obstacle to his return to Stamford
Bridge, where Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich paid Mourinho and his
coaching staff some $27 million after his contract ended early in 2007.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti, who formerly led Chelsea himself, is rumored to be Mourinho's replacement.
On Monday, Perez denied that any deal has been agreed to replace the former Inter Milan and Porto manager.
"We have no pre-contract
signed with any managerial candidate," he said. "It's something we'll
have to look at in the coming days."
Ancelotti confirmed on
Sunday that he had asked to leave the French champions, while the club's
Qatari owners suggested he already had an agreement in place with Real.
Desperate to be crowned
champions of Europe for a record tenth time, with their last success
dating back to 2002, Real Madrid turned to Mourinho just days after he
lifted the Champions League with Inter Milan, ending a barren 35-year
run for the Italians.
Yet the Portuguese was
beaten in the semifinals of the competition each year with Real, who
were knocked out by Borussia Dortmund last month.
Without a trophy in the
two years prior to his arrival, Mourinho did at least return silverware
to the club - winning the Copa del Rey in his first season in charge.
In 2012, he guided Real
Madrid to their first league crown in four years and amassed a record
tally of 100 points along the way, so eclipsing the previous best held
by great rivals Barcelona.
A new deal soon followed
but matters soured this season as Mourinho clashed with several star
players, notably goalkeeper Iker Casillas -- who was demoted from the
first team in recent months -- Sergio Ramos and Pepe.
During his 176 games in charge, Mourinho has led Madrid to 127 victories - losing just 22 games along the way.
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