Bellingham's future at Real Madrid, sorted

Bellingham ties himself down

According to BBC Sport's Saturday gossip column, Jude Bellingham has agreed a new contract with Real Madrid, ending any chatter about his long-term future before it really got started. No length or terms are attached to the report, but the signal is the story here: Madrid are locking in a 23-year-old England international who has already won a Champions League and looks like the engine room of the club for the next decade.

Bellingham's numbers under Xabi Alonso this season read 38 appearances, 8 goals and 5 assists in the seasons we have on record, continuing a run that's seen him post a 23-goal campaign in 2023/24 and 13 assists the year after. He's been central to a Madrid side currently sitting fourth in LaLiga on 18 points from eight games (6W 0D 2L, goal difference +11), and with 53 caps and 10 goals for England, he's not short of reasons to want stability either.

Madrid's spending this window has been net negative at minus 67.5 million euros, so a fresh Bellingham deal fits a club tightening elsewhere while protecting the one asset they're not trading. A squad valued at over a billion euros doesn't need to sell its best midfielder. It needs to keep him.

Schade's price tag lands on two desks

Elsewhere in the same gossip round-up, BBC Sport reports that Arsenal and Liverpool have both been quoted a price for Brentford winger Kevin Schade. There's no fee mentioned publicly and no indication either club has moved beyond being told the number, but it's the kind of story that tends to resurface in January once a figure is out there.

Schade has been one of the more watchable wide players outside the traditional top six this season, and the fact two of England's biggest clubs are even being quoted a price says plenty about how his stock has risen at Brentford.

Kounde being watched from Manchester and west London

The same column has Manchester United and Chelsea monitoring Jules Kounde's situation at Barcelona. Monitoring is the operative word: nothing here points to a bid, contact with the player, or advanced talks, just two clubs keeping half an eye on a centre-back who's been a reliable presence under Hansi Flick.

None of this adds up to concrete business yet. But Bellingham's new deal removes one domino from the board, and it's the clubs still chasing Schade and Kounde who'll be doing the moving once January actually arrives.