The fight for the quarterfinals of LM and for Bellingham. Real Madrid and Liverpool will duke it out on the pitch and in the office

This battle’s gonna be one hell of a fight. Real Madrid and Liverpool will compete on the pitch for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while their bosses jockey for the signature of Jude Bellingham.

In recent years, Liverpool have taken one slap in the face from their Spanish rival. Losing in the 2018 LM final, getting knocked out in the 2020 LM quarter-finals and losing in the 2022 LM final.

On top of that, the Reds have had to endure defeat on the transfer market as well. Indeed, both teams, along with PSG, were still fighting for the signature of Aurélien Tchouaméni in the summer. The talented youngster is considered to be the future best defensive midfielder in the world and that’s exactly what Liverpool needed.

Operation Tchouaméni

Jürgen Klopp knew that it was in midfield where Liverpool had their biggest problems. Most of the players are already too old, often injured or underachieving in quality. Getting a young midfielder, and one of such quality at that, was a target for Liverpool.

The German coach coveted Tchouameni so much that he reportedly called him daily to persuade him to come to Anfield Road, even flying to Monaco to see him. He offered him a virtually certain place in the starting line-up and a big role.

But the French midfielder eventually chose Real Madrid, who paid Monaco €80 million, with another €20 million to throw in in bonuses. And another Real Madrid-Liverpool fight is on the horizon.

Bellingham hilarious

For in the summer, Jude Bellingham, the most brilliant gem on the transfer market, will go on the road after his experience at Dortmund. And the two biggest bidders? Real Madrid and Liverpool.

It is between these clubs that Bellingham has to choose, speculation is constantly spilling over from one side to the other. For Liverpool, a return to his native country and a place in the starting line-up is absolutely certain.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, is the biggest club in history and the dream of many young players. No other club is as close to winning the Champions League as the Ballon d’Or. Being a Real Madrid star will make you a global superstar.

Plus, it looks like Liverpool won’t even qualify for next year’s Champions League from the Premier League. But money will also play a big part. The financial power of the English league is immense, and with Liverpool having to start a rebuild and having possibly the best midfielder in the world for the next decade within reach, they will put a lot of pressure on the transfer.

There are reports from Madrid that the Royal club will not enter the financial race and that Bellingham will have to choose Real Madrid over money.

So there is a bit of a strained relationship between the managements of the two clubs at the moment. And they have to meet on Tuesday before they play each other. So it will be interesting to see who gets a place in the quarter-finals, and also who signs the 19-year-old superstar.

Source: MARCA