Jude Bellingham is currently the most-heavily sought after player in world football, with the world's elite football clubs all vying for his signature in the summer transfer window.
Still only 19, Bellingham has thrived in his two-and-a-half years at Borussia Dortmund, putting in stellar performances in both the Bundesliga and Champions League - and even captaining the side on four occasions.
He will still have two years left on his contract at Dortmund in the summer, but that seemingly isn't going to stop Europe's top sides all throwing £100m+ in an attempt to lure him away from the Signal Iduna Park.
Marca journalist Jon Prada told FourFourTwo exclusively that Real Madrid are prioritising signing Bellingham in the summer, with Los Blancos confident they can usurp clubs in the Premier League and tie the Englishman down to a long-term contract.
“Bellingham is Real Madrid’s primary target,” confirms Jon Prada.
“Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are 37 and 33, and they want a younger player to replace them, to mix with Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni.
"They have been in contact in the last year. Their relationship with Dortmund’s board is close and they’re confident that Bellingham wants to play for Real Madrid – that’s the message they’re receiving from the player’s camp. But clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool will make big offers, too.”
The rebuild of Real Madrid's midfield has already started to take shape, with Casemiro departing for Manchester United last summer after the arrival of Tchouameni. Camavinga joined the club a year before that, but has had to settle for a squad role as Kroos and Modric still perform to an exceptional standard.
Adding Bellingham to a midfield three of the aforementioned French duo could spell trouble for the rest of Europe, with all three likely to play at the top of their game for at least the next decade, if not longer.
As Prada suggests, though, Manchester City have the money to spend to sign Bellingham, while Liverpool are in desperate need of a refresh in their midfield. Bellingham certainly won't come cheap, but he's undoubtedly going to be worth every penny.
