Real Madrid have confirmed the £113m signing of England star Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.
Mail Sport reported last week how Los Blancos had agreed a deal worth an initial £88.5million to sign England international Jude Bellingham and the move was expected to complete inside 10 days.
Carlo Ancelotti made Bellingham, 19, a priority signing this summer as they look to bounce back after a mixed campaign that saw them finish 10 points behind rivals Barcelona in LaLiga, while they were also thrashed 5-1 by Man City on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals.
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.
Bellingham has penned a six-year deal at the Bernabeu and the player will be unveiled by the club at a presentation ceremony tomorrow, before he then appears in front of the media.
Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund for £113m
Los Blancos announced on Wednesday morning that the midfielder would be joining the club
Carlo Ancelotti made Bellingham a priority signing and Real have now completed the swoop
Los Blancos star Vinicius Jr was quick to welcome the Englishman to the club after he signed
After the move was confirmed, Bellingham was quickly welcomed to the club by Real star Vinicius Jr who tweeted: ‘Welcome to the best team in the world, @BellinghamJude.’
The 19-year-old – who is viewed as a complete midfielder – moved to Borussia Dortmund 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 also 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 and Manuel Akanji 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 completed a historic Treble on Saturday when they beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
The Englishman shone with Dortmund ever since moving from Birmingham City back in 2020
He was the most coveted target this summer after superb displays for Dortmund and England
Mail Sport revealed last month Real Madrid were closing in on a big-money deal for the star
The England midfielder is also thought to be mindful of Real’s history, which is thought to have provided a substantial pull.
As Mail Sport revealed earlier this month, Bellingham will miss England’s forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia due to a long-running knee injury, amid concerns he needs surgery.
However, he still reported to St George’s Park on Monday to undergo rehabilitation work.
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 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.
Bellingham scored 14 goals and added seven assists in all competitions for Dortmund this year
Bellingham was hugely popular at Dortmund and captained the team on many occasions
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.
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.
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.
