Real Madrid has completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal. The English teenage midfielder was signed for a fee of €103 million (£88m) that could potentially rise to €133.9m (c. £114m) with add-ons. The initial fee means Bellingham is now the second-most expensive English footballer after Jack Grealish, for whom Manchester City paid Aston Villa £100m in 2021.
Jude Bellingham at a Borussia Dortmund match. Source: Getty Bellingham is also Real Madrid’s second-most expensive signing, after Eden Hazard’s 115m euro move from Chelsea in 2019. He is also the third-most expensive teenager in history. The Spanish club said in a statement; “Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund have agreed on the transfer of the player Jude Bellingham, who will remain linked to our club for the next six seasons.” The La Liga side failed to retain either the Champions League or domestic league trophy this season under Carlo Ancelotti, and have moved swiftly to recruit the player that was widely regarded as their priority target for the summer transfer window. Jude Bellingham who is leaving Dortmund after a season he was named the Bundesliga Player of the Year, will be presented a Real Madrid player on Thursday, June 15, at 11am.
Jude Bellingham at an England match. Source: Getty In a farewell statement on the Dortmund website, he said; “Thank you to everyone at BVB and to the fans for everything over the past three years. It’s been an honour to wear your jersey so many times, in big and small moments. Even though I look forward to my next destination, I will never forget the journey there. Once Borussia always Borussia. All the best for the future.” Bellingham moved to Borussia Dortmund from English second-tier boyhood club Birmingham City in 2020. During his time with the German team, Bellingham became a key player in his 132 appearances, scoring 24 goals and providing 25 assists. He has been included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, but will not feature in the games.
Sergio Ramos at a match for PSG. Source: Getty It would also be the last time PSG fans will see Argentine football legend Lionel Messi play in Red and Blue colors. Ramos signed for the club in 2021 and has made 57 appearances in the PSG shirt. While Ramos was seen as perhaps one of the final pieces of the puzzle to help the Parisian club win the Champions League, he is wrapping up his time in France with two Ligue 1 titles and one French Super Cup title. Announcing his decision to leave after the last match of the season today, Sergio Ramos tweeted; “Tomorrow is a special day, tomorrow I will say goodbye to another stage of my life, goodbye to Paris Saint-Germain. I don’t know in how many places one can feel at home, but without a doubt PSG, the fans, and Paris were one of them for me. “Thank you for two special years in which I was able play in every tournament and give my all. I will face new challenges, I will wear other colours, but first, and for the last time: ¡#AllezParis.” Tomorrow is a special day, tomorrow I will say goodbye to another stage of my life, goodbye to @PSG_inside. I don’t know in how many places one can feel at home, but without a doubt PSG, the fans, and Paris were one of them for me. — Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) June 2, 2023 PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi also confirmed the Spaniard’s exit from the club in a statement released on Friday, June 2. He said; “We would like to express our immense gratitude to Sergio Ramos for the two years he has spent with us. “Sergio’s leadership, team spirit and professionalism, combined with his experience at the highest level, make him a true football legend, and it was an honour to have him in Paris. Everyone at the club wishes him all the best.” After a successful 16-year stint with Real Madrid, where he made 671 appearances and scored 101 goals, Ramos joined PSG on a free transfer ahead of the 2021/22 season. He missed the majority of the first season due to injury and fitness issues. But made a sensational comeback this season with 30 starts in Ligue 1 and featured in every minute of PSG’s Champions League campaign. 
Sergio Ramos benched during a Ligue 1 match. Source: Getty PSG have already lined up Ramos’ replacement as they secured Inter Milan’s defender Milan Skriniar on a free transfer. Ramos on the other hand, has been linked with several clubs from Saudi Pro League, including Al-Nassr, where his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Rolando captains the team. 
Messi at a match for PSG. Source: Getty Confirming the development, Galtier said; “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football. This will be his last match at the Parc des Princes, and I hope that he will receive the warmest of welcomes. “This year, he has been an important part of the team, always available. I don’t think any of the comments or criticisms are justified. He’s always been there for the team. It’s been a great privilege to accompany him throughout the season.” Messi has scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists across 40 appearances for the Parisian side this season. Included in that tally are 16 goals and 16 assists from 31 Ligue 1 appearances. 
Messi after a match for PSG. Source: Getty While the 35-year-old won the World Cup with Argentina last December, his time at PSG has been far from an unmitigated success. He arrived at PSG in August 2021, joining a star-studded team that includes Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, with the hope of winning the club’s first Champions League title. Although PSG clinched their 11th Ligue 1 title last weekend, in March they were once again knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16. In recent weeks, Messi has received abuse from some sections of PSG fans, and last month the club suspended him following an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. Messi has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism and has been linked with a lucrative move there at the end of the season. There has also been talk of a return to Barcelona, where he spent the majority of his career and won 10 La Liga titles and the Champions League on four occasions. Messi has also been linked with a move to David Beckham’s MLS team, Inter Miami. 
Confirming that they are interested in bringing Messi back to Camp Nou, Xavi told reporters; “Yes [Barcelona met with La Liga], but not only for the possible arrival of Leo. We’ll see in order to improve the squad for next year, but it is not the important issue; there is still a league to win. 
“Tomorrow we have a key game and this is the important issue. This is a matter of Mateu (Alemany) and he informs us, but, in theory, everything is going well. In the end, we don’t know if it’s going to happen or not. It’s very soon to talk about it. We are focused on the match against Betis and on winning La Liga, which would give us a lot of stability. We will talk about possible signings.” 
Manchester United coach, Erik ten Hag has confirmed that on-loan striker Wout Weghorst could still be at Old Trafford next season. 
30-year-old Weghorst who has scored just two goals for the Red Devils since his arrival in January, still has more than two years left on the contract he signed when he arrived at Turf Moor in a £12 million deal from Wolfsburg. He caught the eye while playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup and has become a cult hero at Old Trafford thanks to the fiercely-competitive attitude that saw him clash with Lionel Messi in Qatar. When asked if the 6ft 6ins international could be part of his long-term plans, Erik ten Hag said; 
“Of course. I think he is doing a lot of elements of football really well. “Wout is doing a really good job for us. He is the leader of the process in pressing, he starts the press and is very good in backward pressing. He is also taking up (good) positions and in his link-up play he’s doing really well. “He is making good movements, making space for others, so he’s also good in set-plays. He is really contributing to this team. I think after Christmas we have played 25 games and we lost two – and Weghorst played almost all of the games so he is really part of the success.” 
