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Published 14 Jun, 2023 04:09pm

England midfielder Bellingham joins Real Madrid on six-season

England midfielder Jude Bellingham has completed a transfer to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund on a contract until 2029, the Spanish club said on Wednesday.

“Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Jude Bellingham, who will be contracted to our club for the next six seasons,” a statement said.

“Jude Bellingham will be unveiled as a new Real Madrid player tomorrow, Thursday 15 June, at 12:00 noon at Real Madrid City.”

Dortmund had previously said that Bellingham would join Madrid for an initial fee of over $110 million plus add-ons, depending on the success of the Spanish top club.

“It was an honour to wear the (Dortmund) shirt so many times, in moments big and small. Even though I’m looking forward to my next destination, I’ll never forget the journey I took to get there,” Bellingham said.

Bellingham moved to Borussia Dortmund from English second-tier boyhood club Birmingham City in 2020. During his time with the German team, Bellingham became a key player in his 132 appearances, scoring 24 goals and providing 25 assists.

He won the German Cup in 2021 with Dortmund and was recently named Bundesliga player of the season, following a campaign in which Dortmund dramatically lost the league title to Bayern Munich on the final matchday.

“We thank Jude for three passion-filled years at Borussia Dortmund. It was a fantastic time together,” CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said, adding: “Our thanks also go to Real Madrid for the always fair and constructive discussions.”

Bellingham missed the last season games owing to injury which is also keeping him out of England’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers - allowing the presentation in Madrid to take place this week.

In Madrid, Bellingham will join other young players such as Frenchmen Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni while veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are also set to stay.

Bellingham was also sought by other European top clubs but Real were always said to be his preferred destination.

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