Real Madrid News
Real Madrid in pole position to sign Liverpool target, could cost €120 million
The transfer saga involving Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham continues to evolve with each passing day.
Only last week, it was reported that Liverpool had emerged as the frontrunners to sign the 19-year-old prodigy, with his family leaning towards a return to his homeland.
However, earlier today fresh reports emerged from Germany stating that Real Madrid were confident of landing the midfield sensation, with Liverpool’s chances being described as ‘moderate’ at best.
Building on those claims, MARCA and AS are now reporting that Real Madrid have now jumped into the pole position in the race to sign Bellingham in the summer of 2023.
The reports from both publications indicate that the former Birmingham City midfielder has decided to give top priority to a move to the Spanish capital club over a possible return to England, putting Los Merengues in the lead.
Real Madrid have been pursuing Bellingham for a long while now, having identified him as their utmost priority for the summer of 2023. The La Liga champions have been laying the groundwork for a deal for some time and it could pay off now.
Luka Modric is 37 years old and will bid goodbye to the Santiago Bernabeu sooner or later. There continues to be a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the future of Toni Kroos as well.
So, a new midfielder is a must for Carlo Ancelotti & co., with Bellingham their priority. AS claims that the plan is for the 19-year-old to play with Modric next season before fully taking over from 2024 onwards.
The report further claims that a deal could set Real Madrid back by €120 million at least following Bellingham’s exploits at the FIFA World Cup 2022 with England, and the fact that his contract with Dortmund runs until 2025.
Los Blancos also have the money to splash the cash to land Bellingham as per the report. And, as long as they have the midfielder’s consent to a move, they believe they have the upper hand in the race to land him.
It remains to be seen if Real Madrid do end up securing Bellingham’s signing or are forced to look at alternatives such as SL Benfica and Argentina starlet Enzo Fernandez.
According to reports from Mario Cortegana (h/t Madrid Zone), Real Madrid have two objectives for the upcoming summer transfer window. The centre-forward and the right-wing position are seen as the two positions to be reinforced but no decision has been made yet about making a move.
This comes over and above the Merengues’ pre-existing need for new midfielders and full-backs in the coming windows.
At first sight, it may appear that Los Blancos are well stacked in the final third. In Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo Goes, they have three starting quality players who are well-complemented by the likes of Marco Asensio and Federico Valverde.
Yet, Vinicius is the only player on the aforementioned list who can boast of a starting role in a fixed position for at least the next decade.
There is worry over the centre-forward role considering Benzema’s lack of form and fitness throughout the current campaign. With the Ballon d’Or winner already 35, the club need a young reinforcement soon which is evident with the team’s struggle for goals this term.
Los Blancos have already invested heavily in Endrick in this regard. However, that has not stopped them from following established options like Dusan Vlahovic and Erling Haaland as their Brazilian wonderkid will not arrive until 2024.
The right wing is also understaffed despite the presence of young Rodrygo and Fede Valverde. The duo have no dearth of talent but have not managed to click on the wing as well as the manager would have liked.
Thus, it remains to be seen as to who the club targets to strengthen the wing and aim to stretch the play. Given the heavy investment planned for Jude Bellingham, a low-cost option is likely to be considered.
