Real Madrid have officially completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year contract.
The Spanish club will pay an initial fee of 103 million euros (£88.5 million) for the 19-year-old, with potential add-ons that could take the total deal value to 133.9 million euros (£115 million). Bellingham, who began his career at Birmingham City, will be presented as a Real Madrid player at a ceremony on Thursday.
In a statement, Bellingham expressed gratitude to everyone at Dortmund and the fans for their support during his three-year tenure. He acknowledged the honor of wearing the Dortmund jersey and wished the club all the best for the future.
“Thank you to everyone at BVB [Dortmund] and to the fans for everything over the past three years,” Bellingham said.
“It’s been an honour to wear your jersey so many times, in big and small moments.
“Even though I look forward to my next destination, I will never forget the journey there. Once a Borusse, always a Borusse. All the best for the future.”
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Bellingham’s exceptional performances, including being named the Bundesliga’s player of the season, contributed to Dortmund’s strong campaign as they narrowly missed out on the league title.
👋 @BellinghamJude
🤍 #HeyJude pic.twitter.com/Fm1Pw3brEs— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 14, 2023
With the initial fee, he becomes the second-most expensive English footballer, trailing only Jack Grealish, who joined Manchester City from Aston Villa for £100 million in 2021. Bellingham’s transfer also makes him Real Madrid’s second-most expensive signing, behind Eden Hazard’s move from Chelsea in 2019.
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During his time at Dortmund, Bellingham made history as the club’s youngest captain at the age of 19. In the 2022-23 season, he made 42 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing seven assists.
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke expressed appreciation for Bellingham’s passion and the fruitful collaboration between the player and the club. He also extended gratitude to Real Madrid for their fair and constructive negotiations.
“We thank Jude for three years of passion for Borussia Dortmund. It was a fantastic time together,” Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said.
“We would also like to thank Real Madrid for the always fair and constructive discussions.”
Bellingham’s transfer fee to Dortmund in 2020, which amounted to £25 million, made him the most expensive 17-year-old in football history. Despite some criticism, Birmingham retired his shirt number following the deal, despite Bellingham only having played one full season of professional football at the time.
Although Bellingham has been included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, he will not participate due to ongoing rehabilitation from an injury that kept him out of Dortmund’s final game of the season.
