Real Madrid have agreed a deal worth an initial £88.5million to sign England international Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and he is expected to complete the move inside 10 days.
Carlo Ancelotti has made Bellingham, 19, a priority signing and Real are now set to complete their swoop for the midfielder.
It is understood the deal will guarantee Dortmund £88.5million – but will rise towards £113.5 million as a result of £25m worth of performance-related add-ons – which are believed to be achievable.
Personal terms need to be formally agreed – but that will be a formality. He still has to undergo a medical, bearing in mind his knee troubles in recent weeks, but if he passes that Madrid will be in a position to confirm the teenager’s arrival.
It is hoped the move can be wrapped up within seven to 10 days. Bellingham’s move to Spain has been an open secret for a number of weeks, but they were respectful of the Bundesliga title race before negotiating a fee.
Bellingham is set to miss England’s forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia due to a long-running knee injury, amid concerns he needs surgery.
Bellingham – who is viewed as a complete midfielder – moved to Germany from Birmingham in 2020 at the age of 16 so is used to living abroad and his family have already begun the process of ensuring he will settle in Madrid.
Mail Sport understands Bellingham’s camp believe the experience of playing in another country has been the making of him as a person and they are happy to prolong that experience.
Mail Sport revealed back in May that Madrid were closing in on a big-money deal for the England star after he was reported to have accepted the details of their offer.
Manchester City and Chelsea were admirers of Bellingham, but weren’t considered by the player, with Liverpool – who were seen as a more realistic option – pulling out of the race in April after citing escalating costs.
At one stage late last year, City were confident they were in pole position in the battle, having discussed the prospect with Dortmund.
However, over recent weeks that confidence has faded, so much so that they instead stepped up their interest in Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic.
Credit: dailymail.co.uk.
