Jude Bellingham's future appears to have been resolved even though the summer transfer window is yet to open.
The Borussia Dortmund youngster had been linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United but it seems Real Madrid have won the race to sign the talented England international. According to Marca, the Spanish giants are looking to finalise the remaining details which would see the 19-year-old sign a six-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
While Arsenal were never firmly linked with the former Birmingham City man, many Gunners supporters remained optimistic a deal could be done given the north Londoners' resurgence under Mikel Arteta this campaign. But it now seems Bellingham won't be playing his football at the Emirates Stadium next season - or even in the Premier League for that matter - and the fact he has chosen Real Madrid over Arsenal's direct English rivals could pose a problem for Edu.
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It's no secret that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are in the market for a central midfielder. All three clubs had been linked with a move for Bellingham but now they will be scouring the market for potential alternatives.
football.london understands West Ham midfielder Declan Rice is Arsenal's top target this summer, while Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Romeo Lavia, Martin Zubimendi and Mason Mount are players the Gunners are said to be monitoring. Edu will have to be wary, however, as it is likely these players are also being monitored by Arsenal's rivals.
It is expected Liverpool will be in the market for at least two central midfielders this summer, especially with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all looking like they will leave when their contracts expire at the end of June. Chelsea, despite spending £106 million on Enzo Fernandez in January, as well as Manchester United under Erik ten Hag are two other sides in need of further midfielder reinforcements.
Teams like Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham will also most likely want to strengthen their central midfield areas, which essentially means Arsenal are going to have to act fast to get their desired targets. At one stage it had been thought Bellingham might sign for one of Liverpool or Manchester United, but the fact he now seems destined for Madrid means players like Rice, Caicedo and Mac Allister could be viewed as ideal alternatives by the two aforementioned sides.
In an ideal world Edu will complete Arsenal's business early, with the dream scenario being the Gunners bring in both Rice and Caicedo to compete with Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard. But summer transfer windows are often not as easy as that and it will be up to Edu to fight off competition from Arsenal's rivals.
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