Reason why Mourinho might leave Old Trafford at the end of the season

Jose Mourinho

Manchester United's plan to offer Jose Mourinho a new contract hinges on him taking them back into the Champions League.

United were preparing to hand Mourinho an ­extension and pay rise on the four-year deal he signed when he arrived at Old Trafford last summer when it seemed certain they would finish in the top four.

But the Reds’ hopes of returning to the European elite now hinges on winning Wednesday night’s Europa League Final against Ajax. Mourinho was given parity with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as the world’s highest-paid manager when was handed a deal worth £15million-a-year last summer.

And Mirror understands that United’s decision on whether to open talks with their manager about extending his Old Trafford reign will be decided in Stockholm.

United will lose more than £50million in revenues if they fail to qualify for the Champions League, with their £75million-a-year kit manufacturing deal with Adidas set to be slashed by 30 percent.

And while United’s owners have no intention of making their third managerial change since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they are being careful about pushing ahead with a plan to hand Mourinho a two-year extension that has been in the pipeline since the turn of the year.

The Portuguese became the only manager in United’s history to win a trophy in his first season when United won the EFL Cup in February.

But his team will finish the Premier League season in sixth place – despite a 25-match unbeaten run.

And a defeat at the hands of Ajax will see them hold back on Mourinho’s new deal.

United planned to offer Louis van Gaal a 12-month contract extension in late 2015 after the Dutchman had secured a top-four finish.

But that plan was ditched over the course of the next few months when United started to struggle in the Premier League.

When Van Gaal was sacked after winning the FA Cup and finishing fifth, it cost £8.4million in compensation to pay-off the Dutchman and his coaching staff.