Real Madrid are determined to sign Jude Bellingham.
Los Blancos see the Borussia Dortmund midfielder as the heir to Luka Modric and plan to bring him to the Spanish capital in 2023.
The 18-year-old Englishman had his number 22 shirt with Birmingham City retired when he left for the Bundesliga and Pep Clotet, the coach that gave him his professional debut when they were both at Birmingham, has spoken with Diario AS about him.
“Jude is a very complete player,” Clotet, a Spaniard, said.
“He plays well in attack and defence. He’s a strong player and, despite his age, he has experience in the Champions League and with the national team.
“He’s so dynamic that he can be a wild card for Madrid.
“Defensively he’s very involved and he always arrives into the box at the right time. He covers a lot of ground and he’s a very focused guy, always concerned with winning the ball quickly.
“It’s difficult to classify his ability because despite his age it’s difficult to see his ceiling. He’s always stood out and he has an ambition and maturity far ahead of his age.”
Madrid are keen to strengthen their midfield as their iconic trio of Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos grows older. Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde are already in place and Aurelien Tchouameni of Monaco has been linked as well as Bellingham.
Born in Stourbridge, Bellingham joined Birmingham at seven and broke into the club’s first team at the tender age of 16. He ended up making 44 appearances across all competitions for the club before joining Dortmund in 2020; he’s played 84 games for them. Bellingham has also earned 12 caps for the English national team.
