INTERNAZIONALE ARE intent upon luring Fabio Capello back to Serie A after the World Cup, though the English Football Association is confident the England manager will reject the Italian club and honour the remaining two years of his contract.

Inter president Massimo Moratti is understood to have identified the 63-year-old as his “ideal candidate” and first choice to replace Jose Mourinho at the Champions League winners.

Real Madrid dismissed Manuel Pellegrini last night and are in the process of appointing the Portuguese, with negotiations continuing between the clubs over a compensation package that could involve Mourinho and, potentially, the Brazil right-back Maicon swapping San Siro for the Bernabeu.

Capello, who returned to Austria with his England squad yesterday to resume altitude training, is contracted to the FA until the end of Euro 2012 and this month removed a get-out clause in his €7 million-a-year deal, signed in December 2007. That would have allowed him to talk to other interested parties in a two-week window after the World Cup. His decision to have the clause cut is considered as a very visible sign of his continued commitment.

However, Inter would be willing to treble his annual salary, after tax, in order to bring the former Milan, Roma and Juventus manager back to Italy. Moratti has long admired Capello and tried to hire him while he was coaching Juve in 2006, only for the country’s match-fixing scandal to erupt. That agreement was duly scrapped, with Capello taking over at Real Madrid for a second spell instead.

The Italian coach has consistently stressed his commitment to England when asked about the frequent interest from Italy.

“Juventus, Inter, [Real] Madrid, all the other teams, Milan . . . It’s good for me, but I am just focused on the World Cup,” he said on Monday after England’s 3-1 friendly victory over Mexico.

Indeed, Capello tends to add the caveat that his future is ultimately decided by his employers at the FA, who could arguably have sought to have reviewed his position were England to endure a miserable World Cup in South Africa.

However, Capello enjoys complete support within the FA, largely as a result of the resurgence in the side’s form since he took over from Steve McClaren following the national team’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez announced the club’s intention to recruit Mourinho “once his contractual relationship with Inter Milan has been resolved” following a board meeting last night.

Mourinho, who led Inter to an unprecedented treble of Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League, is under contract with the Nerazzurri until June 2012, but has a get-out clause in his deal.

The 47-year-old met Inter’s finance director in Milan yesterday and afterwards told reporters: “Now I am on holiday, then I will go and work in Spain.”

Perez added: “There is nobody on the board who has given an opinion against the signing of Jose Mourinho; on the contrary, they are enthusiastic at being able to recruit one of the best coaches in the world. We believe he is a coach who will add a lot to this important squad that we have.”

• Guardian Service