Real Madrid News
Real Madrid believe Bellingham is Premier League-bound, have not made an offer yet
It is no secret that Real Madrid have made Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham as their priority transfer target for the summer transfer window.
The 19-year-old is seen as the final piece of the puzzle as Real Madrid look to transition from old warhorses like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to the new-look midfield unit comprising Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and possibly Bellingham.
However, according to Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, Real Madrid currently believe that Bellingham’s most likely destination in the summer will be the Premier League.
The reigning champions of Spain and Europe have been working on a deal for the teenage sensation for months now, with chief scout Juni Calafat taking charge of cultivating a relationship with the midfielder, his family, and entourage.
However, Real Madrid are facing stern competition from Liverpool and Manchester City, both of whom are keen on signing Bellingham and are pushing hard to make his transfer a reality come summer.
Amidst this heated competition, Los Blancos are reportedly ‘resigned’ to the fact that they would be unable to compete with the financial might of the Premier League clubs.
Real Madrid are yet to submit an offer to Dortmund for Bellingham as of yet. But they are aware that any proposal that they table, be it the transfer fee or the player’s wages, will be inferior to what the Premier League clubs can offer.
Even Dortmund see the English clubs as leading the race for their prized asset, although the German giants still harbour hopes of renewing Bellingham’s contract and keeping him at the club.
Money on offer is not the only consideration for Bellingham in choosing his next club. And Real Madrid hope that he follows in Aurelien Tchouameni’s footsteps as the Frenchman turned down a bigger offer from PSG in favour of the Santiago Bernabeu last summer.
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.
