Jude Bellingham is Real Madrid’s priority summer transfer target, but  Los Blancos don’t want to pay an astronomical fee for the midfielder.

Borussia Dortmund are after €150m, but Madrid - whose chief competitors for Bellingham are Manchester City - are out to bring that price down.

In a bid to lower the fee for Bellingham, Madrid would be willing to include Brahim Díaz as a makeweight. Díaz has been on loan at AC Milan since 2020.

Having established himself as one of Milan’s star men, the forward is excelling in Italy. He has six goals and five assists this season.

Milan boss Stefano Pioli wants Díaz to stay: “Of course I’d like to carry on working with Brahim. He’s come on in leaps and bounds.”

Díaz has been key to Milan’s impressive UCL campaign, scoring the goal that sent the Rossoneri into the quarter-finals for the first time in 11 years.

The Bellingham deal is shaping up as the major transfer saga of the summer. Madrid are eager to avoid paying over €100m, but it’ll be tricky.

The 19-year-old wants a big-money, long-term contract, and Madrid would also have to pay large commissions to intermediaries. 

Madrid recently sent a representative to Germany to sell the club to Bellingham, who starred for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Madrid and Dortmund boards have a great relationship, but City’s financial muscle is a major threat to the Spaniards’ hopes of getting their man.