Man Utd said exactly how much it will cost to secure Jude Bellingham transfer with Liverpool out of the race for Dortmund star

MANCHESTER UNITED and Manchester City have to pay up to £130m to sign Jude Bellingham.

Liverpool have pulled out of the race for the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund superstar but Real Madrid remain in the hunt.

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City are interested and United could also move if the acquisition is completed in time for the summer window.

Dortmund haven’t given up hope of keeping Bellingham for another season.

But if he decides to leave, the Germans believe the £138m deal they struck with Barcelona for Ousmane Dembele in 2017 is a benchmark of how much they should get for the young Englishman.

France striker Dembele was just 20 years old – a few months older than Bellingham is now – when he joined the Nou Camp for the huge transfer fee.

Any prize in this region would break the current British record, Chelsea’s £106m for Enzo Fernandez in January.

The numbers involved in the deal have forced Liverpool to pull out, especially as they will almost certainly miss out on the riches of the Champions League next season.

The money they have needs to be spent on multiple areas rather than wasting it all on one signing.

City’s transfer funds will be focused on strengthening midfield this summer, with Ilkay Gundogan expected to join Barcelona on a free transfer.

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There’s also a question mark over Bernardo Silva, while talisman Kevin De Bruyne turns 32 this summer.

City have shown in the past they are not afraid to break transfer records – spending the then UK high of £100m on Jack Grealish in the summer of 2021.

Their hopes of signing Bellingham have been boosted by the Liverpool departure but they are wary of Madrid.

However, City have a good working relationship with Dortmund, having signed Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji from them last summer.