Real Madrid have reportedly met with major target Jude Bellingham to ‘strengthen ties’ and ‘pave the way’ for the signing of the Liverpool, Chelsea target.

The battle to secure Bellingham’s signature will be hotly contested. Indeed, a lot of Europe’s biggest sides have been linked with a move for the Englishman.

The reason for that is he’s already established himself as one of the premier talents in the world at 19 years old.

The midfielder has been directly involved in eight Bundesliga goals this season for Borussia Dortmund. He’s one of the driving forces in their title charge; they’re two points behind rivals Bayern Munich after drawing their last game.

Bellingham has also scored four goals and assisted one in seven Champions League games this term. Indeed, those are fantastic returns for such a young player.

Liverpool have been the most heavily-linked side. However, Chelsea and Real Madrid will also be holding out hope that they can snare the generational talent.

That the Reds could be on top is reinforced by Bellingham’s reported desire to work with manager Jurgen Klopp.

However, Real are putting their own plans into action. Indeed, a recent report suggested the La Liga side had met with the star’s father in London recently to discuss their plans.

Real Madrid put Bellingham wheels in motion

Meeting with the star’s father is one thing, but a report from AS suggests Real have now gone one step further.

Indeed, the Spanish outlet states the La Liga side have met with Bellingham himself to ‘strengthen ties’ and ‘pave the way for a future signing’.

The location of the meeting – Germany – shows the club are serious about stepping up their interest. The ‘objective’ was apparently to ‘get to know’ Bellingham ‘first-hand’ as well as to ‘sell the benefits’ of Real.

That the club wants to get to know him on a personal level could go a long way.

Not only do they want him because of his elite footballing talent, but that shows they care about him as a person too. As such, they might have placed themselves in a good position in the race for his signature.

AS also noted that Aurelien Tchouameni, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo all had similar meetings before joining.

Indeed, it’s clearly a tactic that has worked for the club in the past in allowing them to sign great players.

Race not won yet

While the meeting is a nice touch, it won’t have won Real the race just yet. There are a lot of factors that go into signing for a football club.

Recent reports have stated Dortmund want to push for £125million in order to sell the star.

As such, one of the English sides in the hunt might be better placed for the signing. In any case, it will be an interesting battle, which could well conclude this summer.

READ MORE: Liverpool ‘serious’ about high-quality midfield upgrade as selling club prepares for huge profit; Man Utd also eyeing star

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