Real Madrid interest gave me goosebumps – Jude Bellingham

England midfielder Jude Bellingham said his ‘heart was close to stopping’ after being informed of Real Madrid’s interest in him.

The teenager had been a long-term target for Los Blancos after the club missed out on him when he decided to leave Birmingham City.

However, Real moved swiftly to secure the 19-year-old’s signature after playing his third season with Borussia Dortmund. The Spanish side paid a whopping 103 million euros for the English man making his second most expensive signing in the club’s history after Eden Hazard.

The fee could reach 133.9m euros with add-ons with the player being presented at the club’s offices on Thursday.

“I’d always been aware of the interest from England so that was pretty normal,” Bellingham said during his first press conference after his presentation.

“It was a bit of a surprise when my dad sat me down and said: ‘You’ve had a bit of interest from Real Madrid.’

“I think that was maybe about 12-15 months ago. When he said that I had goosebumps, my heart was close to stopping. It’s something you don’t expect growing up – being able to play for a team like this.”

At the age of 19, Bellingham became Dortmund’s youngest captain and was voted Bundesliga Player of the Season following the just-ended season.

He was linked with moves to Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United before deciding to join Real Madrid.