Manchester City are still in the mix to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, despite the midfielder reaching an agreement over personal terms with Real Madrid, as per a report.
In mid-April Liverpool opted against signing Bellingham due to financial reasons. They decided his price tag, which is thought to be between £115million and £135m, would take up far too much of the transfer budget being given to Jurgen Klopp this summer. Liverpool are also wary of getting into a bidding war with Bellingham’s other suitors, City and Real.
This news emerging from Anfield put City and Real in great positions to capture the England ace. He has been linked with other European giants including Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, although those two clubs are not pursuing him as things stand.
On Wednesday, Spanish outlet Marca revealed Real had taken a big step towards signing Bellingham. It emerged Real were ‘close to finalising’ a deal for him after opening discussions with both Bellingham and Dortmund.
According to the latest from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have reached an agreement with Bellingham on personal terms. Although, Real have yet to actually strike an agreement with Dortmund. This could instead happen over the next few weeks as they are preparing to meet with the German club.
Despite Real pushing hard to take Bellingham to Spain, there is still a chance he will end up in the Premier League this summer. As per Spanish newspaper AS (via Sport Witness), City ‘command respect’ in the chase for Bellingham as they have the finances and world-class team necessary to convince him on a move.
City are aware of Real being the frontrunners to land the 19-year-old, but they are working hard behind the scenes to agree a transfer of their own. And they are quietly confident about getting to Bellingham first, having done so with Erling Haaland last summer.
Pep Guardiola’s side have sent Bellingham a ‘lucrative’ contract offer to try and get him to change his mind and move to the Etihad instead.
Man City hope to ruin Real Madrid transfer
They are now waiting to see how Bellingham responds. If he accept City’s terms, then they will organise a meeting with Dortmund to try and agree on a transfer fee.
Bellingham and his family are determined to make his next move the right one. They want to ensure he plays regularly at his next club, rather than joining a team who can pay him massive sums of money.
Despite his incredible talent, the former Birmingham man is not guaranteed to start at Real. Los Blancos can still rely on veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, while also having Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni in their squad.
City, in contrast, could lose Ilkay Gundogan once his contract expires in the summer. There is also uncertainty regarding the future of Kalvin Phillips following his underwhelming first season at the club.
Due to these factors, Bellingham would likely walk straight into the City midfield and immediately become one of their most integral players. City fans will be hoping this factor might convince Bellingham to reject Real and instead link up with Guardiola this summer.
