Real Madrid News
Real Madrid unwilling to stump up €150 million to sign Liverpool target in 2023
Jude Bellingham is all set to spark a major bidding war in the summer of 2023, with many top clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea vying for his signature from Borussia Dortmund.
Just 19 years of age, the Englishman has become one of the top midfielders in the game currently and has grown into a leader at Dortmund, even captaining the team on several occasions this season.
But the German giants are aware of the rising interest in the former Birmingham City ace and are reported to be preparing for a potential departure next year.
It is claimed that Borussia Dortmund will demand a price of around €150 million to sell Bellingham in the summer. But, according to SPORT, Real Madrid will be unwilling to match that valuation and instead look to land him for a lower figure closer to the €100 million mark.
The CIES football observatory recently valued Bellingham at a mammoth €202 million as per the report. And while such a price would be preposterous, Dortmund would want to make the most of the interest in the 19-year-old and rake in €150 million from his sale.
The fact that Bellingham does not have a release clause embedded in his contract and still has over two years left on it puts the Bundesliga heavyweights in a strong position as well.
Be that as it may, Real Madrid do not wish to pay over the odds for Bellingham and have no intentions to match the €150 million valuation as things stand.
Liverpool have been touted to be frontrunners to sign the England international in the past. But, Real Madrid believe that they are well within a shot of signing him and the final call will be up to the player on where he ends up.
With Luka Modric in the twilight of his career and Toni Kroos yet to renew as well, Real Madrid will need a new midfielder and Bellingham is seen as a top target. But the club will not spend €150 million to sign him.
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
