Liverpool favorites over Real Madrid to sign Jude Bellingham

Liverpool are the favorites to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund next summer with talks advanced and Bellingham’s family preferring a move back to England, according to a report from Christian Falk of German outlet SportBild and The Anfield Wrap. Falk, a reliable journalist based in Germany, specifically called out the distance between Madrid and Liverpool in negotiations: “Talks [with Liverpool] are more advanced than with Real Madrid”.

Falk spoke on the Anfield Wrap podcast this Wednesday and talked about the departure of the Bundesliga star: “We are going to lose Bellingham, like we did Haaland, this next summer. It is getting closer and closer. You heard the news today, you will have heard that Bellingham and Liverpool are very, very close. There have been many, many talks. His father Mark, mother Denise, and agent Mark Bennett are really focused on Liverpool.”

Reports leaked out in the Spanish press earlier this week that Madrid would drop out of the race for Bellingham due to the elevated transfer fee in excess of 100 million euros. The reality may be that Madrid leaked that news with intention of changing the perception of the deal with their fans and “saving face”. Liverpool have likely won this transfer tug of war after failing to land Aurélien Tchouaméni over Real Madrid last summer.