Real Madrid willing to do whatever it takes to win the race to sign Jude Bellingham this summer

Real Madrid are ready to do whatever it takes to win the race to sign Jude Bellingham this summer, with the Spanish giants seeing Manchester City as their main rivals for his signature.

The 19-year-old England midfielder will be the subject of an intense bidding war if, as expected, he leaves Borussia Dortmund this summer. And Real is prepared to use all financial resources to pay a transfer fee of up to £130 million.

Real know they can’t compete with City when it comes to wages and are hopeful that Bellingham will not simply opt for the highest financial package on offer.

City are known to be enthusiastic about Bellingham, although it remains to be seen whether the Premier League champions are prepared to break the British transfer record twice in three years.

Liverpool have ruled themselves out to sign the former Birmingham City man on Tuesday night, while Manchester United are keen to be part of the battle for his services, but their summer transfer activity is up in the air due to their ongoing takeover saga.

Man City and Real Madrid remain in the hunt to sign Bellingham, as do Man United and Chelsea

Bellingham (above) was one of the standouts during the World Cup in Qatar

As Mail Sport reported yesterday, there is a third and final round of bids to buy United at the end of the month, but uncertainty over who will own the club in the summer – and what funding will be available – is hampering their recruitment plans .

Madrid now sees the way for them to sell the club’s prestige and history to Bellingham and his family.

Madrid Director-General Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat identified Bellingham as the club’s main target at the start of the season and his World Cup performance in Qatar only solidified their decision to sign him.

Club officials have held talks with the player’s father, Mark, and while no decision is expected as Borussia Dortmund still battle for the Bundesliga title, Madrid see themselves as ‘in the running’ in what they expect to be a two-club race to be.

The Spanish club’s entire summer schedule remains on hold while Bellingham decides. Luka Modric has still not been offered a new contract as signing the Dortmund midfielder would take precedence over extending the 37-year-old for another year.

Madrid sources suggest Bellingham would be paid Modric’s £18m base gross salary in his first season – and possibly the Croat’s number 10 shirt.

Guardiola wants to strengthen his midfield, but there is currently uncertainty about how many faces City are looking to bring in during the summer transfer window

Club captain Ilkay Gündogan has expressed great interest from Barcelona ahead of his contract expiring

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has urged the club to extend Modric for another year, but those calls have so far gone unheeded.

If City miss Bellingham, they could turn their attention to 20-year-old Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, who is believed to have a £35m release clause in his contract.

Pep Guardiola wants to strengthen his midfield, but there is currently uncertainty about how many faces City will try to win.

Club captain Ilkay Gündogan has shown strong interest from Barcelona ahead of his contract which expires in June, while Bernardo Silva has continuously attempted to move closer to Lisbon in recent seasons, although Paris Saint-Germain were the only club to seriously support the initial interest.