Real Madrid News
Real Madrid to begin formal negotiations with Dortmund for Bellingham next week
Real Madrid are seemingly leading the race to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.
A phenomenal showing by the youngster at the FIFA World Cup has only strengthened Los Blancos’ desire to sign him, and as of last week, Real Madrid were once again in the pole position to acquire his services.
According to reports from Cadena SER, official negotiations between the European Champions and Borrusia Dortmund will begin next week over a potential summer transfer for Bellingham.
The discussions will boil down to only one factor in the end, the price tag, for the quality of the player is undeniable. The Bundesliga side have reportedly slapped a €150 million price tag on their protege, but Real Madrid would be reluctant to match such a high number.
As per reports, Los Blancos would be willing to offer €100 million for the 19-year-old, while also offering him a five-year contract worth €12 million per season.
If the youngster makes the move to Spain, he would find himself in a world-class midfield core alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde. With Eduardo Camavinga as the backup player in the department, Real Madrid could thus boast of the best midfield in the world for at least the next decade.
In 15 league appearances for Dortmund this season, the youngster has recorded three goals and two assists. He scored one goal and provided one assist in England’s recent World Cup campaign and also has five goal contributions in the UEFA Champions League this season alone.
If Real Madrid fail to secure Bellingham’s signature, Enzo Fernandez presents an apt alternate choice. The Argentine was named the Player of the Tournament at the World Cup in Qatar and his consistency could earn him a blockbuster move to the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
