Real Madrid believe they have 'almost no chance' in the battle with Liverpool for Jude Bellingham.
The 19-year-old midfielder is expected to leave Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund this summer and both of last season's Champions League finalists, who contested another classic on Tuesday evening, are anticipated to lead the chase for his signature.
However, according to The Athletic, 14-time European Cup winners Madrid are pessimistic about their chances of landing Bellingham due to the potential finances of the deal and also their non-urgent stance on bringing midfield reinforcements to the Santiago Bernabeu.
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Writing in The Athletic, David Ornstein said: "Sources close to the club insist they have almost no chance of doing the deal because of the financials; they gave out a similar message last year when they felt Erling Haaland was no longer achievable.
"Real insist they have a number — which is much lower than the €150m ballpark Dortmund want — that they won’t go past for this deal.
"They would point to the relatively low fees they have paid for players in recent seasons compared to the richer English clubs and are expecting Bellingham to go to the Premier League.
"Unlike Liverpool, a midfielder is not Real’s first priority either. They urgently need a No 9 or a wide attacker who can play on the right with Karim Benzema now 35 years old."
Jurgen Klopp has made no secret of Liverpool's desire to land Bellingham, with their interest in the England international perhaps the worst-kept secret in football. The report adds that Reds boss Klopp has "been impressed by Bellingham and is more likely to spend big on him than sign two players with the same money".
In late August, Liverpool agreed on a season-long loan deal to bring Arthur Melo to the club, just hours after Jordan Henderson pulled up with a hamstring injury against Newcastle United. However, the Brazil international has only played 13 minutes for the club this season.
Prior to the arrival of the Juventus loanee, Liverpool had not signed a midfielder since Thiago Alcantara swapped Bayern Munich for Merseyside in September 2020.
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