Battle for the Bellingham Begins: Madrid and Liverpool to Battle It Out for Next Young Star

Real Madrid and Liverpool could be prepared to enter a bidding war for Dortmund’s midfield maestro Jude Bellingham.

The 18-year-old has been widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents in football and has been closely monitored by a number of European giants since his move to the Bundesliga in 2020.

He broke the hearts of the Birmingham City faithful when he chose a move away from his boyhood club and left such a mark on the Championship side that they decided to retire his shirt number, 22, following his exit.

He quickly became a fan favourite amongst the Yellow Wall after showing his passion and dedication for Dortmund both on and off the pitch. Bellingham also played a key part in England’s EURO 2020 campaign that saw the Three Lions reach the final – his first major tournament in the senior national team.

No Surprise in the Bellingham Talks

With the transfer window freshly opened and clubs moving quickly, it comes as no surprise that speculation is growing around where the starlet will spend the up and coming seasons of his promising and exhilarating career.

Two big names that have already made their interest known are last season’s Champions League finalists Real Madrid and Liverpool; he would undoubtedly strengthen both clubs’ midfield lines.

"Real Madrid beat Liverpool to the signing of Aurelien Tchouameni and the two clubs now look set to do battle on Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.The England international is not going to exit the Bundesliga side this season but Spanish radio station Cadena Ser say Madrid could put a deal in place this year to stop his price continuing to inflate ahead of next summer.Madrid and the Reds are said by the report to be the two clubs leading the race for the 18-year-old, who joined Dortmund from Birmingham two years ago and has gone from strength to strength since.(Via: mirror.co.uk)"

Bellingham has made it evidently clear he has the ability and quality to be playing at the highest level, but would only want to dedicate his future to a team in which he was guaranteed a consistent place in the starting eleven.

Both teams’ owners have bolstered their squads already following their superb European campaigns, with Madrid signing young French international Aurélien Tchouaméni and the FA Cup winners confirming the arrival of sought-after Uruguayan Darwin Nunez from Benfica.

Dortmund Are Not Willing to Listen to Offers For Bellingham

Dortmund will be reluctant to let the youngster leave this summer though, given the recent departure of prolific goal scorer Erling Haaland to Manchester City, who finished last season as Premier League champions, after merely beating Liverpool by a point on the final day.

BVB fell short yet again to German giants Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga campaign in 21/22 and completed their season in second, eight points behind the league winners who won their 10th straight Bundesliga title. If they want to be a fearsome force in Europe in the 22/23 campaign, keeping hold of the gifted English playmaker is the right place to start.

Another reason Liverpool may be so keen on Bellingham is that many supporters have compared his play style to club legend Steven Gerrard and the midfielder only sparked rumours more when comparing his position in the England team to the former number 8.

Wherever Bellingham ends up next could be a career-defining move for him, given his age and potential, and he’ll want the silverware to show for it.

He already boasts a German Cup winners medal with Dortmund, but after another year with Bayern as champions and the heartbreak at Wembley last summer, it might not be long before he turns his attention elsewhere in the eagerness of a decorated trophy cabinet in years to come.