Last summer, Real Madrid spent £113 million (including add-ons) to acquire Jude Bellingham from Dortmund. The deal quickly paid off as the English midfielder shone, scoring 23 goals and providing 11 assists, helping Los Blancos secure a double of the Champions League and La Liga titles.
According to TalkSport, Real Madrid held Bellingham in high regard from the outset and placed significant value on him, instituting a release clause of up to €1 billion (£871 million). This currently stands as the highest release clause for a player in Europe.
Barcelona was the first club to implement such clauses, particularly due to their bitter experience losing Neymar to PSG for €222 million when the French club triggered the Brazilian’s release clause.
Presently, several Barcelona players have €1 billion release clauses, including Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, and Ferran Torres.
At Real Madrid, alongside Bellingham, there are two other stars with similarly high release clauses: Vinicius and Eduardo Camavinga.
In the Premier League, the highest release clause belongs to Kevin de Bruyne (£223 million), set upon his new contract signing in 2021. This ensures Manchester City need not worry about losing Pep’s protege to rival clubs.
Ahead of EURO 2024, Germany’s seasoned midfielder Toni Kroos trusts Bellingham, his young counterpart at Real Madrid, will shine for England: “I’ve been alongside Jude Bellingham for a year and I’ve often wondered how old he really is. Indeed, Bellingham is only 20, but off the pitch he seems a bit more mature. That speaks volumes about the hopes pinned on Jude Bellingham for the England national team.
“In his initial weeks at Real, he has become an important factor for us. And I don’t think Bellingham has encountered any issues with the increasing importance he holds for the team.
“Many people have high hopes for Jude Bellingham. I believe he won’t have any problems handling such pressure.”