Dortmund offer Bellingham club-record contract to fend off Man City, Liverpool and Real Madrid

Stuart Telford

• 25 Jan 2023 16:47 GMT
• 3 min read

Borussia Dortmund are ready to make Jude Bellingham the highest-paid player in their history in order to keep the England midfielder out of the clutches of Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Bellingham has been attracting interest from some of the biggest and richest clubs in the game having already captained Dortmund in the Champions League at the tender age of 19, and club president Hans-Joachim Watzke has previously admitted he wouldn't stand in the way of a blockbuster move.

Bellingham's father Mark, a non-league goalscorer of quite some acclaim, was reportedly in Liverpool recently discussing a potential move that could see him and his other son Jobe, currently of Birmingham, enter the Reds set-up at the same time.

READ: 'Bellingham's dad talking to Liverpool'

Man City's and Real's interest is also well-known, and it has been widely expected that Dortmund would let Bellingham go as long as one of his potential suitors met his asking price, which is comfortably in excess of €100 million.

But Dortmund are making one final attempt to keep the England international midfielder, whose current contract at the Signal Iduna Park runs until June 2025.

Bumper contract

"Die Schwarzgelben are ready to offer Bellingham an annual salary of around €15m if he decides to extend his contract with the club until 2026," report Sport Bild. "Talks with his agent will take place in March at the latest."

READ: Real Madrid ready player plus €100m bid for Bellingham

That would at least seem to preclude any winter transfer for Bellingham, but whether he stays beyond next summer is another matter entirely.

Dortmund's offer would at least make Bellingham their highest paid player, lifting him above club captain Marco Reus - who earns €12m a season with the club - and indeed any other player who has ever been employed by them.

For reference, the sum would only make him the eighth-best paid player at Real Madrid, on a par with their goalkeeper Thibault Courtois.