Jude Bellingham ‘handed £4MILLION A YEAR wage boost after one season as Real chiefs fear Kylian Mbappe friction’
REAL MADRID superstar Jude Bellingham has received a massive pay rise following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe, 25, joined Real as a free agent following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain this summer and quickly became the club’s top earner at a staggering €15million (£12.6m) per year.
The star forward overtook Bellingham, 21, and Vinicius Junior who were joint top on the salary list as they made a whopping €10m (£8.4m) per season.
According to OK Diario, however, club chiefs feared the €5m (£4.2m) difference would create friction between the three stars in the dressing room.
That is why Real president Florentino Perez decided to match all three of their wages by giving Bellingham and Vinicius a significant raise.
Now they are all on €15m, which is the most anyone has ever earned in Madrid.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard also received the same amount during their time with Los Blancos.
Bellingham set the world alight last season during his debut campaign with Real.
The star midfielder amassed an impressive total of 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 appearances.
The England international didn’t have an ideal start to this season as he suffered a muscle injury in August.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
That led to Bellingham missing out on Lee Carsley’s first matches in charge of the Three Lions as interim manager in the Nations League.
But the ex-Borussia Dortmund star returned to action on Tuesday in the Champions League and helped Real beat Stuttgart 3-1 in Spain.
Mbappe already counts five goals in seven appearances across all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.