Jude Bellingham in Chelsea link after making Real Madrid transfer request

Robin Bairner

10 Jan 2026 10:58 GMT
4 min read

Chelsea are interested in signing Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham to replace Cole Palmer, according to a sensational report from Spain.

Article continues under the video

FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that the Blues are open to selling Palmer in the summer, with Manchester United exploring a blockbuster deal that would likely become a club record.

And it is claimed that the Stamford Bridge side are eyeing up Real Madrid ace Bellingham for his spot in what would surely be the biggest transfer for the summer.

Current ETV

Jude Bellingham

AM (C), M (CL)

Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham

AM (C), M (CL)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€93.4M - €155.7M

Palmer caught up in Bellingham transfer dominos?

A remarkable domino effect could take place with Palmer in the middle, according to Fichajes.

The Spanish source indicates that Manchester City may seek to buy their former academy star back from Chelsea should Enzo Maresca replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

As FootballTransfers reported, though, Maresca is not the only name on City’s shortlist. Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is also being tracked by the Cityzens – and, of course, there’s no guarantee that Guardiola will elect to leave in the summer.

On top of this, Bellingham reportedly does not want to leave Real Madrid, who in turn would likely ask for around €150 million for any transfer to be agreed.

Bellingham planning for Real Madrid future

Bellingham, 22, appears entirely settled in Spain and has even been telling the Real Madrid board what players they should be signing to strengthen their team around him.

Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is one player that the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder has instructed Los Blancos to sign.

Bellingham wants to be deployed in a more attacking role at the Bernabeu next season, in a similar fashion to his debut campaign at the club, and the potential addition of Wharton would enable him to advance into attacking areas on a more frequent basis, it is claimed.

Will Bellingham join Chelsea?

While the doubt over Palmer’s future at Chelsea is valid, the chances of Bellingham moving to Stamford Bridge to replace him next summer are vanishingly slim, with all the evidence pointing to the Englishman remaining at Real Madrid for the long haul.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store