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.
Bellingham at a match for Borussia Dortmund. Source: Getty The deal which is believed to be one of the largest transfer fees in both clubs’ histories has not been signed, but that is among the formalities that will follow. Unlike Real Madrid, Premier League suitor Manchester City ‘has not submitted offers or provided financial numbers to Dortmund or Bellingham regarding a transfer fee or salary’. Bellingham has made more than 130 appearances since joining Dortmund from Birmingham for just over £20 million three years ago. He impressed in the Champions League and was a key player as Dortmund narrowly missed out on the Bundesliga title this season. Bellingham also made his England debut after moving to Dortmund and was a regular starter for Gareth Southgate’s side at the 2022 World Cup. Bellingham has played the most minutes (2,691) of any Dortmund outfield player in the Bundesliga this season. He also scored 14 goals in all competitions. 
Bellingham at a match for England. Source: Getty He will join a midfield at Madrid that includes Luka Modric, Fede Valverde, Toni Kroos, and Aurelien Tchouameni. Former Real Madrid and Liverpool winger Steve McManaman believes Bellingham will “be treated like a King” if he completes a move to the Bernabeu. If the deal falls through, Bellingham will become the third most expensive teenager signed in football history. His fee will put him just behind Joao Felix’s £115million move to Atletico Madrid and Kylian Mbappe’s £130million switch to Paris Saint-Germain. It will also make him the most expensive English teenager in football history, rising above Luke Shaw’s £33.75 million price tag for his move from Southampton to Man United in 2014. Los Blancos have also set their sights on Bellingham’s England teammate Harry Kane, with Carlo Ancelotti making it clear he wants the striker. 
Hazard in action for Real Madrid. Source: Getty During his time at Real Madrid, he scored seven goals in 76 appearances, 10 of which came in all competitions in the 2022/23 season. Among the trophies won at the club are two La Liga titles, one Champions League, and one Copa Del Rey. Confirming that Hazard will leave the club after the final match of the season on Sunday, June 4, Real Madrid said in a statement; “Real Madrid CF and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement whereby the player will be released from the club as of June 30, 2023. “Hazard has been part of our club for four seasons, in which he has won eight titles: one European Cup, one Club World Cup, one European Super Cup, two leagues, one Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups. 
Marco Asensio kissing the Champions League trophy. Source: Getty Asensio decided to leave Real Madrid after a season in which he had his best numbers, scoring 12 goals and assisting six. He is said not to be satisfied with his role in the team and wants more prominence as well as a higher salary. Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool have also shown interest in the Spanish footballer. He signed for Madrid in 2014 from Mallorca and was sent back there on loan, before heading to Espanyol for the 2015/16 campaign. 
Marco Asensio at a match for Real Madrid. Source: Getty Upon his return, Asensio started and scored on his Madrid debut in their 3-2 Super Cup victory over Sevilla, the first of 16 trophies he would win at the club. In 285 appearances for Madrid, Asensio has scored 61 goals and assisted another 32 across all competitions. 
Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola reportedly confiscated 60 bottles of champagne which was delivered to his team’s dressing room after they reached the Champions League final following a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid. Recall that after a tense 1-1 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, City tore their Spanish opponents to shreds at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, May 17, to secure a 5-1 aggregate victory. 
It is also believed that Pep Guardiola promised to take his players and their families “out for a celebratory meal and drinks at the end of the season” regardless of if they win any silverware or not. Manchester City, however, now has a silverware as they were crowned winners of the Premier League title for this season following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, May 20. The next target will be winning the FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley on June 3, before turning their attention to the Champions League final against Internazionale Milan in Istanbul a week later. 
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola took a dig at a reporter after his team drew against Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday night. City controlled possession but couldn’t translate it into significant scoring opportunities. Their talisman, Erling Haaland wasted a few early chances but wasn’t much of a threat throughout the game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. 
Vinícius Júnior put Madrid ahead with a shot into the top corner in the first half and De Bruyne equalized for the visitors with a powerful one-time shot in the second half. After the match, Guardiola was shocked to hear a reporter suggest that ‘everyone’ thought his side would ‘destroy’ Real Madrid. “Everyone thought we would see City destroy Real Madrid,” a reporter who works with beIN SPORTS told the Manchester City coach. 
Responding to this, Guardiola said; “Who’s everyone? Do you know who we are playing against? “Do you know how many Champions League titles they [Real Madrid] have? It’s not my fault you thought we would win 6-0.” The second leg will be played next week in Manchester. The first leg of the other semifinal between Italian rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan is on Wednesday, May 10. 
Realistically, with next to no chance of finishing in the top four this campaign, the Blues will not be in Europe’s premier club competition next season and have little to play for other than pride in the final weeks of 2022-23. That is a sensationally poor return on the £600 million that the Blues have spent under Todd Boehly’s stewardship in the past 12 months, and massive changes need to be made to fix a team who were celebrating winning the European Cup less than two years ago. 
13-year-old Enzo signed his first contract with Real Madrid last year and will continue to develop as a center-forward in their youth set-up. Since he’s already in Spain, it makes sense that he would feel a strong connection to the European country. This is also an opportunity for him to forge his path. 
The 34-year-old who retired from professional football on March 22 having enjoyed a career at the highest level for over 15 years, said Jose Mourinho’s behaviour and treatment towards him made him chose Real Madrid over Barcelona. Ozil said the Portuguese manager treated him like a star, while the then-Barca boss, Pep Guardiola did not even make an effort to meet him. He told Marca; 
“It was a decision between Real Madrid and Barcelona. And in the end it was not a case of money. I don’t know if this is known, but I visited Madrid and Barcelona at that time and the difference was Jose Mourinho. Mou gave me a VIP visit to Real Madrid. He took me to see the stadium and all the trophies they had won. That gave me goosebumps. “The visit in Barcelona was less enthusiastic and what was more disappointing is that Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to meet me. Before that trip, I really liked Barcelona’s style of football and I could really imagine playing with them, but Madrid went all out. So Jose Mourinho was without a doubt the most important factor in my decision. After my visits, my decision was one hundred percent clear: I wanted to be a Madridista.”