- Dortmund to hold firm in Bellingham negotiations
- Want €120m base fee for the player
- Real Madrid favourites to sign Bellingham
WHAT HAPPENED? The Bundesliga side will reportedly ask for a base fee of €120 million (£104m/$128m) for the English international, according to Kicker, with sporting director Sebastian Kehl acting as a tough negotiator. Real Madrid are currently way out in front to sign the player and have reportedly agreed personal terms with the England international - but they are yet to finalise the base fee and the necessary add-ons.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Earlier, Kehl had told Bild that Dortmund will prove to be a difficult negotiator, as evidenced by the past transfers of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona and Jadon Sancho to Manchester United.
AND WHAT'S MORE: While a deal is yet to be finalised, it is expected that the two clubs will eventually agree to an amount and the deal will go through. In fact, the player has reportedly started searching for a house in Madrid. The German side, meanwhile, have already planned to spend two-thirds of the Bellingham money to buy new players. One name they are currently interested in is Ajax's Edson Alvarez.
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(C)Getty Images
(C)Getty Images
WHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM? The 19-year-old will reportedly need knee surgery after a gruelling season in which Dortmund narrowly missed out on Bundesliga glory. But it is expected that he will be fit enough to start pre-season with Real in July - should the two parties agree on a fee.