Real Madrid News
Real Madrid unwilling to splash €150 million to sign Liverpool target, move ‘complicated’
Even though the summer transfer window is months away, the race for the signing of Borussia Dortmund ace Jude Bellingham is intensifying, with Real Madrid and Liverpool emerging as the strongest contenders for his signing.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Liverpool had emerged as the frontrunners for the 19-year-old’s signing.
Now, MARCA is claiming that Liverpool’s presence in the transfer battle has left Real Madrid feeling that signing Bellingham in the summer of 2023 could be ‘complicated’.
Los Blancos are rebuilding their squad bit by bit, especially in midfield, having brought in Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in the last two summer windows. Bellingham is seen as the next piece of the puzzle as the club prepare for life after veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
But, Liverpool are pushing hard to sign the 19-year-old Englishman as well, as Jurgen Klopp looks to refresh his ageing midfield unit. They are also particularly intent on beating Real Madrid to his signing after facing defeat in pursuit of Tchouameni last summer.
As a result, Real Madrid are seeing the signing of Bellingham as ‘complicated’ at this point, which is made even trickier by the midfielder’s valuation.
Indeed, German sources are indicating that Dortmund will demand a sum of €150 million for Bellingham, who is contracted with the club until 2025 and has no release clause embedded in it.
And, Los Blancos have no intention of shelling out that much amount to sign the 19-year-old. While that does not mean that they are throwing in the towel already, Real Madrid do not wish to do anything ‘crazy’ to capture the signing of the former Birmingham City ace.
Bellingham has enjoyed a rapid rise to superstardom since joining Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020. At just 19, he is one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe, with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United also said to be keen, apart from Liverpool and Real Madrid.
With a major transfer battle set to take place for his signing, it will be interesting to see where the England star ends up next summer.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
🆚 @ElcheCF
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