Real Madrid News
Manchester City leading race for key Real Madrid target, Man United also interested
According to ESPN journalist Rodrigo Faez, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are currently leading the race to sign arguably the most in-demand midfielder, Jude Bellingham.
The news comes hours after it was confirmed that Premier League side Liverpool have pulled out of the race to sign the youngster. Jurgen Klopp’s team was heavily lined with the England midfielder but considering the cost of the operation, which is expected to go beyond €100 million, they decided to invest the money elsewhere.
As a result, Manchester City and Real Madrid remain the only viable destinations, although it must be remembered that Borussia Dortmund still have not given up on the midfielder.
This report, however, contradicts claims from German publication BILD, who reported earlier today that Bellingham was uninterested in joining Manchester City, Chelsea, or PSG, which put Real Madrid in the lead.
Meanwhile, as reported by Faez, Dortmund continue to hope that the midfielder can stay, at least for another year.
At the same time, the likes of Erling Haaland, who moved from Dortmund to Man City last summer, and Jack Grealish, Bellingham’s national teammate, are said to be playing important roles in convincing the midfielder.
As far as Real Madrid are concerned, Faez has told Madrid Xtra that their chief of scout, Juni Calafat, is the one who is pushing the Los Blancos to sign Bellingham. In fact, he regularly travels to German to hold talks.
At the same time, if the team fails to land Bellingham, the possibility of signing a midfielder will only depend on the market opportunity and whether they get another player.
For the moment, everyone expects Bellingham’s transfer to cost at least €150 million and if City are to complete this deal, they are expected to do so before the team depart for their preseason tour.
Everything is perfectly aligned for Manchester City, including their near-perfect relationship with Dortmund. During Haaland’s move to the Etihad, Dortmund really appreciated City’s attitude and all this comes as a big problem for Real Madrid.
At the same time, the report adds that Manchester City’s local rivals, Manchester United, also remain interested in Bellingham, although their priority at the moment is to sign a new striker. But the Englishman remains on the agenda at Old Trafford as well.
Media reports claim that apart from Bellingham, Madrid do not really have a strong alternative so if they end up losing out to City, it will be interesting to see who they rope in, in the summer.
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
