According to reports, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is ‘open to the idea of transferring’ Jude Bellingham as Chelsea ‘prepare’ a ￡130m offer for the ‘infected’ midfielder with an ‘attitude’ problem.

Real Madrid were forced into the Champions League play-offs after defeat to Benfica on Wednesday, which saw Antoliy Trubin score a dramatic stoppage-time header to ensure the Portuguese side also made it through to the play-offs, where the two sides will do battle once again.

After the game, Bellinghamclaimed Madrid failed to “do the basic things”, as is so often the case.

“It’s horrible to lose like this, in this manner,” he said. “Running out of words for these games now, we’ll have to review it tomorrow and look at the goals we conceded and things like that but yeah… Not much to say right now, it’s still a bit raw. Don’t know what to think, but I don’t know.

“They won all the duels, ran harder, pressed better, landed on second balls, the basic things that we don’t do well. We have so much talent, and players that can produce magic out of nowhere, but if you don’t do the basic things, you’re going to get punished.”

But according to a report from Spain on Friday, Thibaut Courtois believes Bellingham himself is a big part of the problem and the goalkeeper has ‘stepped forward to transfer his concern directly to Alvaro Arbeloa’, who replaced Xabi Alonso as manager earlier this month.

Courtois ‘believes Bellingham’s attitude cannot continue like this’ as the midfielder ‘disconnects easily, does not work in defence and, when he is not inspired by attack, he contributes absolutely nothing to the collective’.

The situation is ‘generating discomfort’ in the dressing room and Courtois believes ‘firm decisions’ are required from Arbeloa.

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Having previously been the player to lead by example, standing out for his defensive commitment and outstanding attitude on and off the field, a fresh report from Nacionalstates that‘he has been infected by Vinícius Júnior or Kylian Mbappé, showing much less involvement when running’.

‘All this has exhausted the patience of an important sector in Madrid, who have blamed Bellingham for being one of those responsible for the crisis, and for the dismissal of Xabi Alonso more than two weeks ago’, the report adds.

Club president Perez – who is ‘very disappointed with the performance of Bellingham and his attitude’ – ‘would not evaluate with bad eyes the idea of transferring him, if an interesting offer arrives’.

And Fichajesclaim that offer could come from Chelsea, as ‘the English midfielder is their main desire to put together a luxury midfield with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo’.

It’s claimed ‘the London board plans to pay the chilling amount of 150 million euros to convince Real Madrid to part with its star’.