Real Madrid close to Jude Bellingham agreement with Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid are close to agreeing the terms of a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham this summer, 90min understands.
Most of Europe's elite have been chasing Bellingham over the past 12 months but Real moved clear in the race for his signature when they struck an agreement over personal terms with the 19-year-old last month.
Bellingham, whose preference is to join Real this summer, has agreed the terms of a six-year contract in Madrid that will include a €1bn release clause.
All that was left was an agreement between the two sides over a transfer fee. Dortmund have long made it clear that they are looking for around €150m to part ways with Bellingham and sources have now confirmed to 90min that Real have indicated a willingness to meet that figure.
Meetings in Germany this week have seen Real and Dortmund agree the structure of a deal worth an initial €100m, with a further €50m in add-ons, to push the transfer closer to completion.
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90min understands Real attempted to lower Dortmund's asking price by including a number of players, either on permanent or loan deals, but the German side insisted they wanted a cash-only offer.
That being said, Dortmund have not yet ruled out the idea of returning to Real for potential signings of their own this summer, although any moves will be separate from Bellingham's proposed switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.
An official announcement has been delayed by Real out of respect for Dortmund's Bundesliga title push. Edin Terzic's side sit top heading into Saturday's meeting with Mainz on the final day of the season and must match Bayern Munich's result against Koln if they are to get their hands on the trophy.
Once that match is out of the way, Real will push ahead with their plans to finalise Bellingham's arrival and there is hope among the Spanish outfit that a deal can be announced next week.
Los Blancos are also looking to recruit a new striker to compete with Karim Benzema, while they are eyeing up two new defenders as well.
Carlo Ancelotti recently confirmed that Rayo Vallecano left-back Fran Garcia will join the club this summer but the Spanish side also hope to add an expensive new signing like RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol or Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies - deals which both appear unlikely given the cost.
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