The number is the headline. If the plan goes through, Jude Bellingham will jump from roughly €20 million per season to more than €30 million, per reporting from TEAMtalk by Graeme Bailey on October 4. The England midfielder’s current contract, signed in 2023, runs to June 2029. Madrid want the extension to stretch at least two years beyond that.
That would put the 23-year-old on the same wage tier as Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, who each sit around €31 million gross per season on their most recent deals. Vinícius extended his own contract until 2032 during the summer.
Florentino Pérez driving the push
The groundwork was laid earlier in the year. Spanish outlet Defensa Central reported on 13 July that club president Florentino Pérez wanted to lock Bellingham in with a renewal to 2031 and a fixed net wage of close to €14 million, protected by a €1 billion release clause.
Bellingham’s standout performances at the 2026 World Cup, where he was one of the leaders of an England side that reached the latter stages alongside Harry Kane, hardened Pérez’s conviction that the midfielder had to be tied down before any rival could circle. Bellingham speaks Spanish fluently, is settled in the capital, and is said to have no interest in leaving.
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A late-September report citing transfer reporter Matteo Moretto via Sport pushed the renewal plan back into the headlines, noting that Bellingham currently earns considerably less than either Mbappé or Vinícius Júnior despite being central to the squad José Mourinho inherited this summer. Bellingham joined Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in 2023 and has recorded 49 goals and 36 assists in 148 appearances for the club.
Both sides want it done this year
Madrid’s self-imposed deadline is the end of the calendar year. TEAMtalk writes that “both sides are keen to reach an agreement, with Madrid hopeful of finalising the new contract before the end of 2026.” The club regards Bellingham as the best midfielder in world football and a leading Ballon d’Or contender.
The contract push lands in Mourinho’s first season back at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Portuguese returned as Real Madrid head coach on a three-year deal starting 13 July 2026, 13 years after his first spell at the club ended, and inherited a squad coming off two seasons without a major trophy.
Bellingham, meanwhile, has continued on international duty with England, with TEAMtalk noting his latest showing came in Croatia on 4 October. For Madrid, the next step is his signature on paper, a deal they are determined to have signed before 2026 is out.
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