Real Madrid are 'clearing the way' for Jude Bellingham as the Spanish side deal another blow to Liverpool's hopes of signing the midfielder, according to AS.
Bellingham is already set to be the major transfer story of next summer, with the Borussia Dortmund star attracting serious interest from Madrid and the Reds as well as Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. The 19-year-old has become an indispensable part of Edin Terzic's side, with nine goals across all competitions earning him the captain's armband on occasion.
Such performances are seeing the teenager's stock rise by the day, with BILD reporting yesterday that Dortmund chiefs will demand €150million for their man. Liverpool are known to be long-time admirers of Bellingham and will likely have put work in behind the scenes, but Madrid have been laying similar groundwork and hope to hijack a move.
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One of the major obstacles Carlo Ancelotti's side had to face was their capacity to sign non-EU players, of which Bellingham now is after the UK left the EU. La Liga rules state that teams are only allowed to register five non-EU players, with three permitted in any matchday squad.
Madrid's South American contingent had filled that allowance, but on Friday last week Rodrygo and Eder Militao - both Brazilian - were handed their Spanish citizenship after spending 10 years in the country. And now Vinicius Jr. has also received his Spanish passport after a long and arduous process.
The conscious move from the Spanish outfit to free up their quota suggests they have their eyes on non-EU signings either in January or the summer.
Ancelotti's side have previous in pipping Liverpool to a marquee midfield signing as recently as last summer. The Reds had set their sights on Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, with Klopp even reportedly calling the 22-year-old personally in a bid to seal a move to Anfield, only for the French international to decide on Madrid in a €100million deal.
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