Xabi Alonso can be part of 'cheap' Jose Mourinho deal

Chelsea could land Jose Mourinho on the cheap this summer and get the former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso into the bargain if the Real Madrid coach goes back to Stamford Bridge.

The contract extension that Mourinho signed in May of last year included a £20m buyout fee but the clause is only payable if he leaves Real Madrid in mid-season. Although he has three years left on his deal, the club are prepared to negotiate a sum much lower than Mourinho's €12m (£10.2m) a year salary, such is the desire on both sides to part ways next month.

Mourinho is understood to not have a problem working with Roman Abramovich's hierarchy, including Chelsea's technical director, Michael Emenalo, and his move away from the Spanish capital will not be blocked by Real, who are already preparing for life beyond him with Carlo Ancelotti. The former Chelsea manager is likely to cost them nothing, having agreed to terminate his €7m-a-year rolling (£5.9m) contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

Alonso is out of contract at the end of next season and has still not responded to Real Madrid's offer of a two-year extension. The 31-year-old has become one of Mourinho's biggest allies at the Bernabeu while other Spain internationals have fallen out with the Portuguese coach.