Several teams have been interested in signing Jude Bellingham in the summer, with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Real Madrid seemingly leading the race. Chelsea and Manchester United, too, have been on the lookout.

City are usually not one for shelling out an exorbitant amount on one player, and therefore, were in third place in a three-horse race. Liverpool seemed to have been leading the race for a while, but there is a new twist in the saga, as reported by AS.

According to them, Liverpool have dropped out of the race to sign Bellingham, which means Madrid are the favourites to land his signature.

Instead, Pool are expected to focus on two other World Cup standouts in the form of Enzo Fernandez and Sofyan Amrabat. The former is priced at around €120 million, while the latter could go for nearly €40 million himself.

The report also mentions that the Borussia Dortmund midfielder prefers to play for Madrid over a return to England right now.

Dortmund have demanded around €150 million for the 19-year-old’s services, but it seems highly unlikely that Madrid will agree to shell out that amount. Previous reports have stated that Florentino Perez is willing to go as high as €120 million, but not a penny more.

Madrid are especially helped by the fact that their relationship with Dortmund is on excellent terms. Perez and the BVB’s CEO, Hand-Joaquim Watzke, have been friends since 2011, when Los Blancos signed Nuri Sahin.

They have crossed paths a fair few times in the transfer market since that, as well, including Sahin’s return to Dortmund. Or, the loans of Achraf Hakimi and Jesus Renier.

AS also claims that the Yellow and Blacks ‘made it easier’ for Madrid to sign Erling Haaland this summer, but the Spanish outfit eventually decided to pursue Kylian Mbappe, instead.