Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has fuelled speculation linking him with a summer return to Chelsea by admitting the club is "in his heart" and he will have to come back to the Premier League one day.
Mourinho has been the subject of intense speculation in the last few days, with reports suggesting the former Porto, Chelsea and Inter boss has agreed to return to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Now the Portuguese boss has spoken of his "big emotional connections” with the Blues, connections that mean one day he will "have to be back in English football, or at Chelsea.”
"I cannot deny that, despite this weather, I love it here, and as I said I have a house and I have big emotional connections with Chelsea and one day I think naturally I will have to be back to English football, or to Chelsea or to another club," he told Sky Sports News.
"Of course, Chelsea means more to me than other clubs. Chelsea is in my heart, as Inter is for example. One day I have to be back but again it is normal that I am in London. The same way I walk in my home city in Portugal, people see that as normal and this is normal, the same thing is normal when I am in London."
Recent reports have suggested that Mourinho and his agent Jorge Mendes have signed provisional agreements with both Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain, stating the manager will take over in the summer if he so desires.
It is also believed that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to hold his hands up and admit he made an error five and a half years ago when sacking Mourinho.
Given his latest comments, many will feel the return of the Special One is on the cards, but Mourinho insists his focus right now is solely on Madrid.
"I am in Madrid and I am very, very committed to the club's ambitions for the remainder of the season," he said.
"People know that I am professional and for the moment I only think about my job in Real."
The Madrid boss went on to admit he has played a part in the speculation over a Chelsea return.
"There is a lot of talk but people need to understand that I can be in London very often," he added. "We have a house here and we love it here. Being in London is a very normal thing for us.
"Every time I come people start immediately making connections to a return. I feed it because I say every day that I love it and will return one day. To be fair I give a little contribution to the speculation."
