EXCLUSIVE: Levy rang for Mourinho five times

Levy besieged Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes with calls to offer the departed Chelsea boss a £5milliona- year deal which would match what he earned under Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge.

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But last night Mourinho ruled out moving to another English club, adding that he "hoped to be surrounded by love" in his next job.

When asked if he would return to English football, he said: "Yes, for sure I want (to)," but added: "I don't want it in my next step. I don't want to leave Chelsea's (door) and go immediately to another door.

"I think my next step must be another country, must be another experience, another football. But I am 44, I hope I have many years in front of me. I love English football and I don't change a single word I've said before."

The Spurs offer eclipsed the £4.5m-a-year that Levy was prepared to pay Sevilla coach Juande Ramos last month, and showed again that the north London club are determined to replace current boss Martin Jol.

Sportsmail can confirm that there is a clause in Mourinho's £12.5m settlement with Chelsea which means he would be unable to take up a position with another Premier League club this season, but a Chelsea insider revealed that this remained negotiable.

Levy was so eager to bring in Mourinho for the beleaguered Jol that he was prepared to offer the Portuguese a contract length of his choosing, even a deal as short as just the rest of this season.

As speculation mounted last night as to Mourinho's next move, he emphasised that he would not be returning to coach in his native Portugal and had no desire to take the national job currently held by under-pressure Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari.

"I don't want the Portugal national team," he said. "I want Portugal to succeed. There is no need for Scolari to look behind him. I do not want to work in Portuguese football."

In a hint that he may move to Serie A in Italy or the German Bundesliga, he said: "I will study another language because I would like to learn one more.

"I have to choose between Italian or German because French is fine, so is Spanish and my English.

"I am ready for every country and every project. I just hope that in the next one I am surrounded by love so I can express everything I have to express in terms of my qualities as a manager.

"I'm not tired, I don't need one, two, three, four months (to recover). Stress is not to have a football game to play."

He admitted shedding tears with his players over his departure.

"I was crying. Everything I do is with a lot of passion and emotion. I create everything around the group ethic.

"You have a family at home and another one on the training ground."