Bellingham

Manchester United and Newcastle monitor Elliot Anderson, Barcelona lead Mason Greenwood chase, Jobe Bellingham not interested in Manchester United.

Manchester United and Newcastle are closely monitoring England midfielder Elliot Anderson, with Nottingham Forest demanding a fee between £100m and £120m for the 22-year-old. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Barcelona lead the chase for Marseille’s England forward Mason Greenwood, though Tottenham and West Ham are also interested in the 24-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Jobe Bellingham has no interest in joining Manchester United, who had been weighing up a potential loan deal for Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old English midfielder. (Mirror), external

Manchester United will block transfer requests from England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, and Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee, 24, if they ask to leave in January. (Sun), external

Manchester United have given Napoli the green light to exercise their obligation to buy Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, in January. (Mirror), external

West Ham have made Lille and Brazil defender Alexsandro their top priority for the January transfer window, with the 26-year-old valued at £26m. (ESPN Mexico – in Portuguese), external

Vinicius Jr, 25, is “seriously considering” the prospect of leaving Real Madrid after voicing his frustration towards manager Xabi Alonso, who substituted the Brazil forward late in Sunday’s El Clasico win. (AS – in Spanish), external

Juventus have initiated discussions with former Napoli and Italy boss Luciano Spalletti, 66, about becoming their head coach after sacking Igor Tudor. (Gianluca di Marzio – in Italian), external

Tottenham, Arsenal and Newcastle are monitoring Porto and Spain striker Samu Aghehowa, 21. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Bellingham’s start to the season was inevitably difficult, having had shoulder surgery in July for a long-standing injury he sustained in 2023.

He missed 63 days of training and playing, including five matches for Los Blancos.

In his first appearance back in late September, he was welcomed to the pitch with a huge roar as his return thrilled the Madridistas.

“Bellingham has nothing to prove on Sunday,” said Real supporter Carlos Campillo. “He already does that with every game he plays in and every assist he makes. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone but himself.

Fellow fan Juan Antonio Lillo added: “It’s not a decisive game for him. He needs to keep picking up pace and getting a feel for the game. It’s just one more step towards reaching the level he needs to be at and he’ll get there sooner or later.”

Since Bellingham’s return, he has appeared in six more fixtures in all competitions, slowly increasing his minutes and trying to rediscover his best form.

For much of that stretch, however, his influence was limited – until this week, where his match-winning goal in the Champions League against Juventus reignited the Bernabeu’s belief – and perhaps his too.

“It’s a great feeling, a long time now since I’ve scored, a lot of time out and dreaming of that moment, back in the Champions League and against a big team”, Bellingham told US broadcaster CBS after scoring his first goal of the season.

“To score a winner here at home, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, really good. To play well was important, and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”

Bellingham shone in his debut season at the Bernabeu, scoring 19 goals in La Liga, but his form dipped slightly in 2024–25 as Madrid finished the campaign without a major trophy.

“I didn’t think last year was a disaster,” he reflected. “[It was] still 15 goals, 14 assists, but I know the general feeling was that it was worse. But I was a part of that, how we didn’t play as well last year.

“There were still good moments, but not the level I want to play at, not the level like the first year. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a new manager, he’s got that shape, how we want to play.”

MANCHESTER UNITED are one of multiple Premier League clubs interested in Jobe Bellingham, younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude.

Bellingham, 20, followed in his brother’s footsteps when he left newly-promoted Sunderland to join German giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

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But now, according to reports from German outlet Bild, the midfielder’s next move could bring him back to the UK.

The highly-rated prospect has struggled to find minutes under manager Niko Kovac after starting in the opening two games of the season.

He has played just 74 minutes in the four league games since those games, and could grow frustrated at the lack of opportunities at the club, having been the main man at Sunderland last season.

These frustrations didn’t take long to boil over, with Jobe’s father Mark Bellingham reportedly storming to the dressing room to confront club officials after the youngster was substituted at half-time in their season opener against St Pauli.

The fallout from the scene saw the families of all players banned from the dressing room at Signal Iduna Park.

And it was not the only distraction affecting the youngster off the field, following news emerging on Monday that Mark and Jobe’s mother Denise Bellingham have appeared to separate after more than twenty years together.

United would pose an interesting option for the Stourbridge native to rekindle his meteoric rise, with their midfield struggles being one of their biggest issues under Ruben Amorim this season.

There is a sense that despite having much left to prove on the biggest stages, Bellingham could make an instant impact at Old Trafford.

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However, if game time is the deal-breaker in Dortmund, then tales such as that of the consistently snubbed teenager Kobbie Mainoo could be a warning sign to steer clear.

Bellingham joined the Germans in summer for a fee of £27million, and it is hard to picture the Red Devils getting him for anything less than that.

Another club interested in the England youth international’s services is reportedly Crystal Palace, who were also interested in him while he was with the Black Cats.

Palace have been excellent this season, sitting four places above United in sixth, despite having European football to contend with.

He could partner Eagles starlet Adam Wharton, or potentially open the door for an exit for the 21-year-old, who United are also interested in.

He scored 15 goals in 58 games last season, with Los Blancos losing the league title to Barcelona and knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.

Bellingham’s fellow Englishman Trent Alexander-Arnold is also in the squad for the visit of the Ligue 1 side.

Former Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold played the last eight minutes of their 2-1 win over Real Sociedad at the weekend having struggled to displace experienced Spain full-back Dani Carvajal in the starting line-up.

Alonso said Carvajal’s “competitive spirit” and “the influence he holds as a captain” are a vital asset for Real.

“He [Carvajal] was still recovering while we were in the United States, but now he’s fit enough to play, you can see what a positive impact he has on everyone around him,” added Alonso.

“We need to have those kinds of leaders in a dressing room, they’re crucial. Carva is an example of that. There are lots of others and we need that strong core to guide the rest.”

England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has undergone successful surgery for a long-standing shoulder issue.

The 22-year-old is expected to miss the whole of Real’s pre-season and at least the first six weeks of the campaign, which would include England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September.

Bellingham has struggled with the problem since 2023, when he dislocated his shoulder in a game against Rayo Vallecano.

Real said he will now undergo a period of rehabilitation before returning to training.

The Spanish club, under new manager Xabi Alonso, start their La Liga season at home to Osasuna on 19 August.

Bellingham has worn strapping on his shoulder, but told reporters in June he was “tired of playing with the sling”.

Real scheduled his surgery for after the Club World Cup in the United States, where they were beaten in the semi-finals by Paris St-Germain last week.

Bellingham joined Real from Borussia Dortmund for £115m two years ago and won the La Liga title and Champions League in his first season, scoring 23 goals in 43 appearances.

He scored 15 goals in 58 games last season, with Real losing the league title to Barcelona and knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.

Jude Bellingham presents a tactical conundrum for new manager Xabi Alonso.

In his first season at Real Madrid he was fantastic, scoring 23 goals in 42 games while playing in an advanced midfield role to help Real Madrid to the 2023-24 La Liga and Champions League titles.

Last term he was pushed deeper and wider to accommodate Kylian Mbappe and only managed 14 strikes in 53 games as Real failed to win a major trophy.

At Alonso’s unveiling as Real manager he said he saw Bellingham more as a central midfielder and that’s where he started against Pachuca on Sunday – in the central left position of a 4-3-3.

But, when Raul Asencio was sent off after seven minutes, Madrid switched to a 4-4-1 with Bellingham playing even more centrally and driving from deep.

Two minutes after the tactics were tweaked during a first-half drinks break Bellingham made a late run into the box, picked up the ball from Fran Garcia and smashed a shot into the bottom corner.

It was 10-man Madrid’s first meaningful attack and changed the entire momentum of the match.

“When Bellingham comes from deep and arrives, he is phenomenal. That is an amazing goal and that is where he plays best,” former Italy striker Christian Vieri told DAZN.

“Alonso is the coach, he has to find a way to make them play. Bellingham scored so many goals before Mbappe arrived.

“It’s not our problem, it is Alonso’s problem and he is going to be having sleepless nights.”

Ex-Chelsea midfielder Jon-Obi Mikel added: “That is where Bellingham is best, when he arrives late from midfield.

“No one can stop Jude in that role because he has the power and energy, he can be very special when doing that.”

One of Alonso’s biggest problems this season – and one which former boss Carlo Ancelotti struggled to solve – will be keeping all his stars happy.

Mikel added: “You have to play the players in their best positions because big players want to play in their best positions and that is the problem Xabi Alonso is going to have.

“We know Mbappe wants to play out on the left but they have one of the best players there in Vinicius Jr so where do you play him? He doesn’t like playing through the middle.

“It is a massive problem for Xabi Alonso. If he can find a way to solve the problem then he may have a team. They need to play as a team not as individuals.”

Liam Delap has not been selected in England’s Under-21 squad for this month’s European Championship.

The 22-year-old has just completed a £30m move from Ipswich to Chelsea and is now expected to travel to the United States with his new club for the Club World Cup.

Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham is in the squad, despite interest in the midfielder from German side Borussia Dortmund, who will also take part in the Club World Cup which runs from 14 June to 13 July.

The U21 Euros will take place across eight host cities in Slovakia from 11-28 June.

More to follow.

LAMINE YAMAL destroyed Jude Bellingham with a four-word Instagram post after firing Barcelona to an epic Clasico win.

The teenager sensation, 17, was on target in a 4–3 home victory over Real Madrid on Sunday.

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Barcelona were forced to fight back twice from a goal down to secure bragging rights in the derby.

But more importantly, it saw Hansi Flick’s men open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table with just three games to play.

And Yamal could not resist poking fun at Real Madrid rival Bellingham in an Instagram post on Sunday evening.

The winger uploaded a picture of himself celebrating his goal, along with the caption: “Mm, Ryan vaccinated (like this one too).”

The first part of the caption refers to a previous viral encounter with autograph-seeking “fans” who did not actually know Yamal’s name, leading him to tell them it was ‘Ryan’.

But the latter half was a clear dig at Bellingham after his Instagram antics last week.

The England star, as well as Real legend Sergio Ramos, ‘liked’ a post from Alessandro Bastoni after the Italian defender helped Inter Milan dump Yamal’s Barcelona out of the Champions League in a thrilling semi-final clash.

And fans were quick to react to Yamal’s cheeky caption on social media.

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One said: “Ooh Jude didn’t you like this one?”

Another declared: “Ryan putting Madrid on a leash, hell yeah.”

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One noted: “It would be unfair not to give the Ballon d’Or to this genius.”

Another added: “Legend already.”

Yamal and Barcelona will now prepare to visit Espanyol on Thursday, where a win will secure the LaLiga title.

Flick’s men need just two points from their remaining three games to take Real’s crown.

And it will secure the Double for the German in his maiden season, with Barcelona already beating Real 3-2 in last month’s thrilling Copa del Rey final.