Real Madrid have completed the signing of England midfielder, Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal.
The Spanish giants will pay 103m euros (£88.5m) for the 19-year-old, in addition to various potential add-ons.
If those add-ons are achieved, the deal could reach 133.9m euros (£115m).
Bellingham, who started his career at Birmingham City, will be presented as a Real Madrid player at a ceremony on Thursday.
“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.”
With the initial payment, he surpasses Jack Grealish, who cost Manchester City £100 million from Aston Villa in 2021, as the second most expensive English football player.
In addition, Bellingham is the third-most expensive youngster in history and Real Madrid’s second-most expensive signing after Eden Hazard’s 115 million euro switch from Chelsea in 2019. Mbappe, a French forward, cost Paris SaintGermain180 million euros in 2018. Joao Felix, a defender from Benfica, cost Atletico Madrid 126 million euros in 2019. At Dortmund, where he thrived, Bellingham became the club’s youngest captain in October of last year at the age of 19. He made 42 appearances for his team in 2022–2023, with seven assists and 14 goals.
“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 is the most expensive 17-year old in the whole world in football history because of the 25 million Dortmund paid to Birmingham in 2020.
Bellingham has been a part of Gareth Southgate’s most recent England team but won’t play in the forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta.
Instead, the player will carry on with his recovery in the England setup while he heals from the injury that prevented him from playing in Dortmund’s season-ending match.
