Real Madrid to sign Jude Bellingham from Dortmund for $110m

The versatile 19-year-old English midfielder will join Real Madrid after three seasons with Bundesliga side Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund has agreed to sell England midfielder Jude Bellingham to Spanish giant Real Madrid for an initial fee of 103 million euros ($110.3 million), the Bundesliga club said in a statement.

The listed club said on Wednesday it would receive an additional variable amount “up to a maximum aggregate amount of around 30 per cent” of the fixed transfer fee, subject to team and player bonuses.

Spanish news reports last month said 19-year-old Bellingham had agreed personal terms with Real Madrid. He was also wanted by other top European clubs, but Real Madrid would be his preferred destination.

Bellingham, one of the most promising talents in world football, transferred from Birmingham City to Dortmund in 2020 for a fee of 25 million euros ($26.8 million).

He made 132 appearances for the club, scoring 24 goals and winning the 2021 German Cup.

Dortmund finished second to Bayern Munich on goal difference after losing points on the final day against Mainz, with the injured Bellingham watching from the bench.

Bellingham made his debut for England aged just 17 and also featured in the Three Lions’ 2022 World Cup campaign.

Bellingham started each of England’s five matches in Qatar, scoring once and assisting on another as his side reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual runners-up France.

In Madrid, Bellingham joins other young players such as Frenchmen Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, while veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will also remain.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti reportedly wants Tottenham Hotspur and England captain Harry Kane following the departure of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.

Bellingham, meanwhile, was voted best player of the last Bundesliga season by players in a poll organized by the German players’ union VDV.

Bellingham received 29.6 percent of the vote, the VDV reported on Wednesday. Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani was second (28.6 percent) and Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala was third (13.7 percent).

Bellingham signs a ball for fans as he leaves the England team’s hotel in Al Wakrah, Qatar [File: Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters]
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