Real Madrid ‘agree’ HUGE fee to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid have agreed a deal worth an initial £88.5 million to sign England international Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and he is expected to complete the move within 10 days.

Carlo Ancelotti have made Bellingham, 19, a priority signing and Real are now ready to complete their attack on the midfielder.

It is clear that the deal will guarantee Dortmund £88.5m – but will rise to £113.5m due to £25m in performance-related add-ons – which are believed to be achievable.

Personal terms must be formally agreed – but that will be a formality. He has yet to undergo a medical, considering his knee problems in recent weeks, but if he passes, Madrid will be able to confirm the teenager’s arrival.

It is hoped that the move can be completed within seven to ten days. Bellingham’s move to Spain has been an open secret for several weeks, but they respected the Bundesliga title race before negotiating a fee.

But with the latest development, the biggest – and most important – hurdle on the way to a step has now been overcome.

As Mail Sport revealed last week, Bellingham will miss the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia due to a long-term knee injury, amid concerns he will require surgery.

It is clear that a final decision has not yet been made on the prospect of Bellingham going under the knife, but the plan is for him to rest this summer and miss international games.

Bellingham – who is seen as a complete midfielder – moved to Germany from Birmingham aged 16 in 2020, so he is used to living abroad and his family has already started the process of making sure he settles in Madrid will settle.

Mail Sport understands that the Bellingham camp believes the experience of playing in another country has made him as a person and they are happy to extend that experience.

Mail Sport revealed in May that Madrid were closing in on a big-money deal for the England star after reportedly accepting details of their offer.

Manchester City and Chelsea were admirers of Bellingham but were not considered by the player, with Liverpool – seen as a more realistic option – withdrawing from the race in April due to rising costs.

At one point late last year, City were confident they were in pole position in contention, having discussed the prospect with Dortmund.

They have also been bolstered by a strong relationship between the clubs after taking over Erling Haaland from them last summer.

However, in recent weeks that confidence has faded, so much so that they have instead stepped up their interest in Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic.

Mail Sport understands that Bellingham was worried about how long Pep Guardiola will stay at the club, who are aiming for a historic treble on Saturday night when they take on Inter Milan in the Champions League final.

The England midfielder is also believed to be aware of Real’s history, which would have made for significant appeal.

Bellingham is one of the brightest young talents in the world and has shone for Dortmund since moving to Signal Iduna Park.

During three full seasons at the club, he made 132 appearances, scoring 24 goals and was an integral part of 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, in which Dortmund drew 2-2 against Mainz, Bellingham had to watch from the bench due to a knee injury.

In total, he scored 14 times and provided seven assists in 42 appearances in all competitions.

He achieved several accolades, including being voted player of the season in the Bundesliga, while also becoming England’s highest-scoring teenager ever in the Champions League.

A stellar campaign has also seen the 19-year-old captain make several appearances as he has won 24 caps for England since his debut in 2020.

That reports the German newspaper Ruhr NachrichtenBellingham handed out a number of parting gifts to Dortmund following their heartbreaking end to the season.

The 19-year-old and his mother Denise handed out a series of gifts after a team meeting as he prepared to say goodbye to the club, including an autographed pair of football boots which he handed over to a club security guard.

On one of his last visits to the club’s training ground, he also spent a lot of time signing autographs for fans before leaving around 1:15 PM CEST.

Real’s hugely influential chief scout Juni Calafat, who is believed to have met the player’s father, Mark Bellingham, at London’s Chelsea Harbor Hotel, 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 signed Camavinga from Rennes in 2021 and Tchouameni from Monaco in 2022.

Elsewhere in midfield, veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are expected to sign new contracts with the club, while also having highly regarded Uruguayan Federico Valverde in their ranks.

In Madrid, Bellingham will move to the Spanish capital along with David Beckham, Michael Owen and Kieran Tripper, although only four Englishmen have ever won LaLiga.

Bellingham’s transfer will also be a stroke of luck 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 moving this summer.