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 £88.5m – but will rise towards £113.5m 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.
Real Madrid agreed stunning £113m deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund
Carlo Ancelotti made Bellingham a priority signing and Real are set to complete their swoop
But the latest development means the biggest – and most significant – hurdle towards a move has now been overcome.
As Mail Sport revealed last week, 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.
It is understood no final decision has been made on the prospect of Bellingham going under the knife – but the plan is for him to rest over the summer and miss the international fixtures.
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.
They were also buoyed by a strong relationship between the clubs after signing Erling Haaland from them last summer.
However, over recent weeks that confidence has faded, so much so that they instead stepped up their interest in Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic.
Mail Sport understands that Bellingham had concerns over how long Pep Guardiola will be at the club, who are seeking to complete a historic treble on Saturday night when they face Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
The England midfielder is also thought to be mindful of Real’s history, which is thought to have provided a substantial pull.
Mail Sport revealed last month Real Madrid were closing in on a big-money deal for the star
Read Related Also: Mikel Arteta views Declan Rice as future Arsenal captain despite Man City interest
He was the most coveted target this summer after superb displays for Dortmund and England
Bellingham scored 14 goals and added seven assists in all competitions for Dortmund this year
Bellingham is one of the brightest young talents in the world, having shone for Dortmund ever since moving to Signal Iduna Park.
During three full seasons at the club, he has racked up 132 appearances, scoring 24 goals and was integral to Edin Terzic’s side this season, before they heartbreakingly missed out on a first Bundesliga title in 12 years on the final day.
During a dramatic last game of the season, where Dortmund drew 2-2 with Mainz, Bellingham was forced to watch on from the bench due to a knee injury.
In total, he scored 14 times and added seven assists in 42 appearances in all competitions.
He achieved several accolades, including being voted as the Bundesliga’s player of the season, while he also became the highest-scoring English teenager ever in the Champions League.
A stellar campaign has also seen the 19-year-old captain the side on several occasions, while he has racked up 24 caps for England since his debut in 2020.
According to German newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten, Bellingham handed out a number of farewell gifts at Dortmund after their gut-wrenching end to the season.
The 19-year-old and his mother Denise gave out a series of gifts after a team meeting as he prepared to bid farewell to the club, including a signed pair of football boots he handed to a security guard at the club.
On one of his final visits to the club’s training ground, he also spent plenty of time signing autographs for fans before departing at around 1:15pm CEST.
Real’s hugely influential chief scout Juni Calafat, who is understood to have met the player’s dad, Mark Bellingham, at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in London, wants Bellingham to lead the club into a new era and form a formidable midfield alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
It will be the third summer in a row that Los Blancos have signed arguably the hottest young midfield talent on the continent, having brought in Camavinga from Rennes in 2021 and Tchouameni from AS Monaco in 2022.
However, he was forced to sit out their heartbreaking title collapse due to a knee injury
Bellingham is hugely popular among Dortmund fans and captained them on many occasions
Elsewhere in midfield, veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are expected to sign new contracts with the club, while they also have the highly-regarded Uruguayan Federico Valverde among their ranks.
In Madrid, Bellingham will join the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen and Kieran Tripper in having moved to the Spanish capital, although only four Englishmen have ever won LaLiga.
Bellingham’s transfer will also present a windfall for former club Birmingham City who secured a 15 per cent sell-on when he left for Dortmund in 2020.
Still a Birmingham fan, Bellingham was in the stands when the Blues faced Coventry City in April to cheer on his young brother Jobe who is also set to move this summer.
