Borussia Dortmund react to talk of record Jude Bellingham transfer bid from Real Madrid

• England international is a wanted man
• Linked to clubs in the Premier League
• Blancos seemingly leading transfer race

WHAT HAPPENED? Los Blancos are said to have made the 19-year-old England international midfielder their top target for the summer transfer window. There has been plenty of speculation to suggest that talks are well underway, with personal terms being thrashed out. Real are reportedly willing to break the bank for Bellingham, smashing their recruitment record in the process, but Kehl insists there is nothing to report on the sale front at Dortmund.

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WHAT THEY SAID: BVB sporting director Kehl has told ESPN of the rumours that continue to rage around Bellingham: “We will try everything [to keep Bellingham] because we're very ambitious, we want to keep the best players in our squad in this team and our club to perform. But to come back to Jude, there's nothing to decide at the moment, there's nothing on the table, no offer, no news. Jude is very focused on the next game, next weeks then we will decide how it develops.”

Pressed further on talk of a history-making bid potentially forcing Dortmund’s hand, Kehl added: “I know how the business is. In the end, you have to react to that specific situation. There's no guidelines, no description on what to do and not to do. We have to take everything into consideration, we are still coming [back] from Covid - €150m is a lot of money [that] we lost in the past. I fight for the team, the best players and Jude is one of them, we'll see how this works.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Bellingham has been on Dortmund’s books since the summer of 2020, taking in 132 appearances for the club while captaining them on a number of occasions. He is tied to a contract at Signal Iduna Park through to 2025.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Alongside the interest from Real Madrid, Bellingham has also been heavily linked with a return to his homeland at Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or Manchester City – but he appears set to continue his development outside of England.