5 Clubs With Best Midfielders in Europe After Bellingham Completes Real Madrid Move

Jude Bellingham finally completed the mega-money move to Real Madrid, putting to an end the speculation about his future.

At just 19 years of age, the England international is undoubtedly one of the most exciting prospects in football, with Los Blancos beating a number of other clubs to his signature.

There has been talk that the record Champions League winners have successfully managed to revamp their midfield from the highly-successful trio of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric to younger newbies of Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and now Bellingham.

Where does this midfield rank in Europe's best midfield at the moment? Sports Brief takes a look.

5. Manchester United

Erik ten Hag was really keen on signing Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong when he joined the club last summer. When he failed, he raided their Classico rivals and landed Casemiro instead.

Save for his discipline issues, the Brazilian has been a revelation for the Red Devils this season. Alongside the mercurial talent that is Bruno Fernandes, he has made Manchester United tick. The two have been complemented by Christian Eriksen, Fred, Scott McTomminay and Marcel Sabitzer.

4. Bayern Munich

The Bavarian giants should probably rank higher, with the German duo of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka often an assured pivot in the middle of the pack.

Teenage sensation Jamal Musiala has come of age and has all the potential to succeed Thomas Muller in his hybrid position.

3. Barcelona

Xavi Hernandez has been lucky enough to find a midfield with the same rhythm and talents as the one he played in under the all-conquering side of Pep Guardiola.

Pedri and Gavi have always been referred to as the heir apparent of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, while Sergio Busquets always offered the steady hand of leadership and experience.

With Busquests departure, De Jong is expected to step into his role full-time, with Franck Kessie an available option as well.

2. Manchester City

The newly-minted European champions. Guardiola's side are probably only second on this list due to the age of their current midfielders. Phil Foden is the only player under 25 years in their current crop of players.

Nonetheless, having the options of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kalvin Phillips and we dare add John Stones as well, is just the type of unfairness and greed the Bible warned us about.

Guardiola's engine room has been buzzing. And when they are in sync and in form, it's hard to stop them.

1. Real Madrid

Well, they might have lost their talismanic striker Karim Benzema, but Florentino Perez quickly moved in to swoop Bellingham.

With Bellingham's arrival, Real Madrid's midfield is practically secure for the next 10 years. The former Borussia Dortmund man is 19 years, Camavinga is 20 years while Tchouameni will be 24 next year, the same as Valverde.

These youngsters are proven masters of their game already, but you can never stop learning from the evergreen Modric and Kroos.

Other mentions

Arsenal will probably make a claim for themselves if they can see the Declan Rice transfer over the line. Rice could form an exciting trio with Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey with the likes of Emile Smith-Rowe, Jorginho and Fabio Viera on stand-by.

Liverpool recently signed Alexis Mac Allister but are still a long way from revamping their squad. The Argentine should, however, slot in well alongside Fabinho and veterans Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara.

La Liga's best-paid players

Sports Brief has also reported that Real Madrid’s decision to sign Jude Bellingham has altered the list of the highest-paid players in La Liga after the England midfielder completed his switch from Borussia Dortmund.

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Football

The 19-year-old midfielder penned a six-year deal and will eventually cost Los Blancos a whopping £115 million with add-ons when the deal is finalised.

Bellingham will earn around $21.7 million per season in Madrid, which drops to over $10.8 million after tax as he joins La Liga’s top earners.