Jude Bellingham bids Borussia Dortmund farewell ahead of huge Real Madrid switch: report

Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund blows a kiss to the crowd after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Mainz at Signal Iduna Park on May 27, 2023 in Dortmund, Germany.
(Image credit: Sascha Steinbach/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)

Jude Bellingham appears to have said his goodbyes to Borussia Dortmund teammates and staff, with a big move to Real Madrid seemingly imminent.

It has seemed likely for a while now that the England star will leave Dortmund this summer – and Real emerged as the frontrunners for his signature after Liverpool pulled out of the race amid concerns over BVB's valuation.

Real are said to have agreed a £108m deal to bring Bellingham – who turns 20 next month – to the Bernabeu.

That fee would make Bellingham the most expensive English player of all time, surpassing the £100m Manchester City paid to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa two years ago.

Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund runs during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park on May 13, 2023 in Dortmund, Germany.

Bellingham has made 132 appearances for Dortmund, scoring 24 goals (Image credit: Edith Geuppert – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

And, while nothing has yet been confirmed, it looks as though Bellingham has effectively already made an emotional exit from Dortmund.

According to local newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten, Bellingham bid farewell to his colleagues and signed kit on Sunday May 28 at the club's training ground – less than 24 hours after the Black and Yellows missed out on the Bundesliga title to arch-rivals Bayern Munich on a dramatic final day of the season.

An unfit Bellingham had to watch on as his team blew their chance to become champions for the first time in 11 years by only managing to draw 2-2 at home to Mainz.

The midfielder is set to leave BVB having rapidly risen to become one of the best young players in the world, having joined the German giants from boyhood club Birmingham City aged 17 back in 2020.

Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...