Boost for Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd in Bellingham race as European giants ‘set limit’ for summer bid
Real Madrid have reportedly made Jude Bellingham their priority signing for the summer transfer window – but have set a limit on how much they are willing to spend.
The England international, who is being chased by the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, has established himself as one of the most exciting young players in Europe.
However, Madrid are reluctant to enter into a bidding war for Bellingham, which may give the Premier League trio an advantage in the race for his signature.
This is according to Spanish outlet AS Sport, who claim that the Spanish giants will not spend more than £105m on the 19-year-old this summer, despite Carlo Ancelotti being a huge admirer of the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
That is partly because Madrid are eyeing up a potential move for either Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain, or Erling Haaland from Man City, at some point in the future.
While this will come as a boost to other potential suitors, it is still possible that Bellingham could remain at Dortmund, with the German club growing in confidence that he could stay.
British record fee required for Bellingham
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Dortmund are reportedly demanding a fee of approximately £132m for Bellingham this summer and if that price is not met, they will do everything they can to keep the youngster.
Since heading to the Bundesliga back in 2020, the midfielder has made 124 appearances for the German giants, scoring 20 goals and making 24 assists in the process.
Bellingham has also captained Dortmund on multiple occasions and has cemented his spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad thanks to his performances, so there is no doubt he has the mentality and ability to succeed at the highest level.
As mentioned, Liverpool are firmly in the race for the former Birmingham City man, but if they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season, this could put a move to Merseyside in doubt.
Man City and Man Utd are also interested and with the latter expected to get new billionaire owners ahead of next season, they may look to make Bellingham their first statement signing.
A move to Real Madrid seems less likely now, though, as Dortmund will probably be unwilling to accept anything less than their £132m price tag.
As a result, Bellingham’s future will come down to whether any of the Premier League trio decide to pay what would be a new British transfer record fee for his services.
