Real Madrid News
Borussia Dortmund set €150 million asking price for Jude Bellingham – German sources
According to Sky Sport Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund are demanding €150 million for their star midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham, arguably one of the hottest prospects in the transfer market, has made it to the list of almost every top club across the continent. This includes Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City.
At this moment, however, there is no clarity from the player’s end. Given the interest he has generated, it is all but certain that the 2022/23 season is going to be his final campaign in Dortmund’s iconic yellow and black colours.
So in all fairness, the fight will come down to an exciting bidding war, meaning that whoever matches Dortmund’s aforementioned valuation of €150 million will win the race.
As far as Real Madrid are concerned, it is an unspoken truth that the team are desperate to find capable replacements for both Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
The Croatian, who reportedly wants to play another season with Real Madrid, is already in his twilight years, while the World Cup-winning German is most likely to retire either this summer or the next.
Despite the tough situation at hand, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti recently decided to stick with his own roster, saying that the players he has at the moment are more than enough. When asked about the possibility of signing Bellingham, the manager said,
“Bellingham has shown in the World Cup that he is a great midfielder, but there are many youngsters who are performing well: Enzo Fernandez, Pedri and Gavi. I’ll stick with my midfielders, Tchouameni, Camavinga, and Valverde,” said the manager.
As for Dortmund, they seem to have accepted the fact that Bellingham’s departure is imminent and to tackle the upcoming hustle, the team want the player to make an early decision so that they can plan accordingly. This means that the next few weeks will be crucial.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
