Why Bellingham's Real move would make 'perfect sense'

Jude Bellingham signed for Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City successful July 2020

For galore years Real Madrid were renowned for being 'Los Galacticos' - a squad packed afloat of expensively assembled superstars, bringing unmatched glitz and glamour to their trophy-hungry fans.

Another question of high-end purchases followed aft Perez returned to the presidency successful 2009: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez were among those recruited for monolithic fees, with Real determined to presumption themselves arsenic the eventual imagination destination for immoderate superstar with superior ambitions.

But past thing changed. After years of spending each summertime chasing the biggest imaginable names, Real abruptly halted the Galacticos argumentation and started to absorption their recruitment strategy connected the world's astir promising youngsters. Instead of signing football's biggest established stars, the nine became intent upon snapping up the game's adjacent stars.

• Real successful precocious talks to motion Bellingham

This displacement successful strategy - envisioned by Perez and long-serving right-hand antheral Jose Angel Sanchez, and executed by main scout Juni Calafat - was necessitated by a designation of caller economical realities.

After truthful galore years of being untouchable successful the transportation market, Real could nary longer routinely vie with the limitless wealthiness of the 'petrodollar' clubs. So they looked for an alternate way to success.

There would beryllium the occasional objection - specified arsenic the ill-fated £100m determination for Eden Hazard successful 2019 and the ongoing pursuit of Kylian Mbappe - but Real mostly stayed distant from those large deals, alternatively scouring South America for teenagers who had the imaginable to marque it big.

The archetypal important signing nether this caller argumentation came successful 2017 erstwhile Real nine splashed retired 46m euros (£39m) connected a 16-year-old Brazilian winger who would formally articulation erstwhile allowed to bash truthful connected his 18th birthday. His sanction was Vinicius Jr, present 1 of the astir devastating attackers successful the world.

Vinicius scored the winning extremity successful past season's Champions League final, with the assistance coming from different subordinate who had been scouted successful South America arsenic a teenager: Uruguayan midfielder Fede Valverde. Yet different leader of the knockout stages, which included a melodramatic precocious treble against Manchester City, besides travelled the aforesaid route: Brazilian winger Rodrygo, who joined Real from Santos astatine the property of 18.

Real besides transportation retired the aforesaid strategy person to home, reinforcing their ageing midfield successful the past mates of seasons with France's brightest prospects: 18-year-old Eduardo Camavinga was signed for a reported 40m euros from Rennes successful 2021, with Aurelien Tchouameni, a comparative seasoned astatine 22, pursuing a twelvemonth aboriginal from Monaco for 80m euros.

Real Madrid person spent large connected young midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga successful caller seasons

In this context, it's casual to recognize wherefore Real person positioned themselves arsenic frontrunners for the signature of England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has been tipped to caput to the Spanish superior from Borussia Dortmund astatine the extremity of the season.

Real's long-standing argumentation of recruiting the world's champion young players makes it lone earthy that they would beryllium enormously funny successful signing a 19-year-old who has already made astir 200 elder appearances and won 24 planetary caps.

Likewise, the club's proven willingness to springiness young players a accidental to win astatine the highest level makes the Bernabeu a precise enticing destination for blistery prospects who, similar Bellingham, privation to instrumentality their careers arsenic acold arsenic possible.

And Bellingham, assuming the rumoured determination is completed, volition get plentifulness of chances to beryllium his worthy with Real. Luka Modric, who volition crook 38 aboriginal adjacent season, and 33-year-old Toni Kroos are gradually becoming little important for Los Blancos, whose classical trio was breached up astatine the commencement of this play with Casemiro's departure for Manchester United.

A midfield of Bellingham, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Valverde and Dani Ceballos - signed from Real Betis aged 20 successful 2017 and yet present becoming a regular - providing the ammunition for Vinicius, Rodrygo (and, who knows, Mbappe?) would beryllium a singular vindication of Real's 'sign them young' policy. And it is not stopping determination - Brazilian Endrick has already agreed to articulation erstwhile helium turns 18 successful 2024.

Success, of course, is not guaranteed. For each Vinicius determination is simply a Luka Jovic, who was bought from Eintracht Frankfurt for 60m euros successful 2019 but flopped severely with lone 3 goals successful 51 appearances. For each Valverde determination is simply a Martin Odegaard oregon Take Kubo, who were fixed constricted (or, successful the lawsuit of Kubo, no) first-team appearances earlier going connected to flourish elsewhere.

But considering the transportation strategy followed by Real successful the past fewer years, Bellingham to the Bernabeu makes cleanable consciousness - and helium whitethorn ne'er person a amended accidental of becoming 1 of the champion players successful the world.