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.
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
