• 'I'm going to London on Monday,' Mourinho tells Spanish TV

José Mourinho has given the strongest indication yet that he will return as Chelsea manager by telling a Spanish TV football show that he hopes to take charge of the London club by the end of this week.

Mourinho ended his three-year reign at Real Madrid with a 4-2 home La Liga win over Osasuna at the weekend, and in his last interview in Spain, on the Punto Pelota show, he appeared to end speculation surrounding his future plans.

"I'm going to London on Monday and I think that between Monday and the end of the week I will be the Chelsea manager," the 50-year-old said. "I feel the people there love me and in life you have to look for that.

"Life is beautiful and short and you must look for what you think is best for you," added Mourinho, who originally joined Chelsea in 2004 and won back-to-back Premier League titles from 2005 before leaving the club by "mutual consent" in September 2007.

The west London club have refused to comment on reports that Mourinho has agreed a four-year contract to succeed Rafael Benítez, though the Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, claims an announcement from Chelsea could come as early as Monday.

Pérez, who was re-elected Madrid president unopposed on Sunday and wants to open his fourth term with statement signings such as Gareth Bale and Luis Suárez, said: "Mourinho is going to Chelsea. Probably on Monday he will be their new manager. We wish him good luck."

On Sunday, the Premier League's official website jumped the gun by announcing Mourinho had returned, prompting an apology to Chelsea. Under the headline 'José Mourinho makes Chelsea return', and containing Monday's date, the article's sub-headline read: 'Portuguese coach back at Stamford Bridge after signing a XX-year contract'.

The Premier League indicated the article was being prepared in readiness for a possible announcement and is attempting to discover whether publication was a result of system failure or human error. A spokesman said: "It was a publishing error. We took it down as soon as we were notified of it and we've spoken to and apologised to Chelsea. We have no prior knowledge of any movement or any announcement [regarding Mourinho]."