Real Madrid News
Real Madrid set to offer bumper €60 million contract to priority midfield target
According to journalist Pacojo on SER Deportivos, Real Madrid have laid out their roadmap to capture the signing of Jude Bellingham in the summer transfer window.
The 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund prodigy is Los Blancos’ top transfer target heading into 2023. With Luka Modric in the final phase of his career and Toni Kroos’ future uncertain, a new midfielder has become a top priority at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And, the Merengues have narrowed in on Bellingham as their top target, with recent reports even suggesting that they have taken a lead over Liverpool in the race to sign the England international.
According to the aforementioned report, Real Madrid plan to offer a sum of €100 million to Borussia Dortmund to sign Bellingham, although it is likely that they might need to shell out a larger sum.
Furthermore, the reigning champions of Spain and Europe are planning to offer Bellingham a massive contract worth €12 million per season. The idea is to hand the teenage midfielder a deal that will run for five years, taking the total worth of the contract to €60 million.
It is also suggested that Real Madrid wish to insert a release clause worth €1 billion in the teenager’s contract to shield him against overtures from other suitors in the future.
While the roadmap may be laid out, nothing is set as of yet, as the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City continue to push for Bellingham’s signing. Furthermore, Dortmund are likely to hold out for a higher fee than the €100 million that Real Madrid plan to offer for him.
So, even though it has been suggested that the 19-year-old is leaning towards a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, there is still plenty left to be done for Real Madrid to get into a position of strength in the race for his signing.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
