The sporting director of Borussia Dortmund Sebastian Kehl, has dismissed rumors of Jude Bellingham inching closer to a move to Real Madrid. The BVB chief rebuffed the claim by asserting that no offer has been made for the talented midfielder, contrary to recent reports.
Bellingham has established himself as one of the hottest prospects in European football since moving to Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020. This season, the English international has continued in his upward trajectory and his performances have rightly attracted attention from several top European clubs.
Among them, Real Madrid have been reported as the frontrunner to secure the 19-year-old midfielder's services in the upcoming summer transfer window. In the past week, speculation intensified when multiple news outlets across Europe suggested that Bellingham had already agreed on personal terms with the Spanish giants, who were prepared to pay a substantial fee of over €100 million. Additionally, Manchester City were cited to be monitoring the player's situation while retaining an interest in bringing the young talent back to England.
However, contrary to popular opinion, Dortmund's sporting director Sebastian Kehl has strongly refuted these claims, while assuring fans of the club that they have no plans to sell Bellingham in the near future. Instead, the Signal Iduna outfit is looking to extend his contract, which currently runs until 2025.
In an interview with ESPN, Kehl emphasized Bellingham's comfort at BVB, stating, "Jude Bellingham feels very, very comfortable at BVB. There are no new talks or inquiries for him. He still has two years left on his contract and is a very important part of this team. That's why I naturally want him to stay at BVB for even longer."
Kehl further mentioned that Bellingham is not under any pressure to make a decision regarding his future and suggested that the midfielder could be swayed to stay if Dortmund secures the Bundesliga title this season. However, he acknowledged that the race for Bellingham's signature is likely to reignite at the conclusion of the season.
"We have not set a deadline for him," Kehl added.
"There were times when I thought that he would leave. Later, I had the feeling that he would definitely stay. The race for him will certainly resume at the end of the season."
Although the news is not one that Madrid fans looked forward to, it will reportedly not have an effect on Los Blancos' pursuit of the player as he remains the club's priority signing this summer.
