Jude Bellingham 'itching' to start pre-season with Real Madrid
- Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid in €134m transfer
- 19-year-old to wear Zinedine Zidane's old number
- Currently in England ready to travel back to Spain
Jude Bellingham is 'itching' to get started with his Real Madrid career after completing a transfer to Los Blancos last month that could reach close to €135m.
The England midfielder was unveiled in his new number five shirt, following in the footsteps of a certain Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu, but has since returned home while the summer break continues. He will be heading back to Spain for pre-season ‘soon’.
"I'm itching to get back [to Madrid] and just start playing – that's the thing now that I'm waiting for the most. I'm buzzing, it's a dream move for me," Bellingham told Sky Sports.
"We're past the complicated points now, so it's just about getting over to Madrid soon for pre-season and cracking on with that.
"I feel I've done all the talking and given all the answers, but now it's just about getting ready and starting to play. I'm just so happy to be at the club."
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed
Asked whether pressure is something he feels, not least having become the most expensive English player of all time and the first Englishman to join Real since Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate in 2004, Bellingham replied: "Not really."
He added, "[Pressure] follows you everywhere. People are saying to me there is pressure on the move, but wherever I was going to take my next step there was going to be pressure. It's one of those things that I get the chance to enjoy because I'm under it so much – it's all about finding ways of coping and I'm having a great time trying."
Gareth Bale was the last British man to sign with Real, having left Tottenham in a world record transfer in 2013. Scotland Women international Caroline Weir joined Real Madrid Femenino last summer after leaving Manchester City and signed a new contract just last week.
LISTEN NOW
On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss Mason Mount's impending move to Man Utd, Arsenal's various deals, Liverpool's pursuit of Dominik Szoboszlai and more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!