"Sometimes contracts aren't the most important thing" - Ex-Chelsea boss admits he could leave current club amid reports of Stamford Bridge return

AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he could leave the Stadio Olimpico as talk of a potential return to Chelsea intensifies.

Mourinho spoke to DAZN when he touched on Roma CEO Pietro Berardi, insisting the Portuguese coach will remain with the club while others reported otherwise:

"I don’t talk to friends, comrades, journalists. If a few months ago our CEO [Pietro] Berardi said he was sure I would stay, that is his interpretation. If this time Mr. Zazzaroni [a journalist] said what he said is an interpretation of him, I’m not talking to anyone."

Mourinho then added that contracts aren't the most important thing in football, hinting that he could leave the Serie A giants:

"The situation is clear, from a contractual point of view I still have one year on my contract. Football is football, sometimes contracts aren’t the most important thing."

Chelsea are looking for a new manager after they sacked Graham Potter on Sunday (April 2). The English tactician was dismissed after a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa left the side sitting 11th in the Premier League.

Mourinho has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge, where he achieved massive success throughout two spells with the club. The Portuguese coach won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups with the Blues. He left the club for a second time in 2015.

He has since managed rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur and has been at Roma since 2021. Mourinho became the first manager in history to win all three UEFA competitions when he lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League with I Giallorossi last season.

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright criticizes Chelsea's Mykhaylo Mudryk after Graham Potter sacking

Mudryk has been underwhelming since joining the Blues.

Potter was heavily backed by Chelsea's owners during his tenure at the club. The Blues spent over £300 million in the January transfer market. One of those signings was Mudryk, who arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5 million.

The Ukrainian winger was expected to make a big impact at Stamford Bridge but has been in poor form. He has provided just one assist in eight appearances and has failed to establish himself as a starter.

Mudryk was handed an eight-year contract on reported wages of £97,000, which is a massive increase on the amount he earned at Shakthar. Wright has slammed the Ukrainian for his relaxed demeanor, perhaps due to the length of time he has on his contract. He told Premier League Productions:

"At the moment you are looking at him, is he bothered at the moment? He doesn’t seem to me like he’ll be bothered about what’s going on at the moment because he’s got a long contract, this manager will go, we’ll see what the next one does."

The Ukrainian could be back in action tonight (April 4) when Chelsea face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. He will be keen to prove his doubters wrong and get back to the form he achieved before his big-money move to the Blues.