Pep Guardiola tells Man City to ‘take advantage’ of Real Madrid ‘chaos’ and sign the next Zidane ‘NOW’ – report

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told his club’s bosses to raid Real Madrid and sign one of their best midfielders in 2026, according to a speculative report.

Real Madrid are not having the best of times at the moment, with Alvaro Arbeloa recently being appointed the manager of Los Blancos following the departure of Xabi Alonso.

Madrid fans have turned against some of the players, including Vinicius Junior, with calls for president Florentino Perez also made during the match against Levante at Estadio Bernabeu at the weekend.

According to Defensa Central, Man City manager Pep Guardiola believes that the situation of Madrid at the moment would help him land Jude Bellingham.

The Real Madrid-centric news outlet, which is often speculative, has reported that Guardiola ‘wants to take advantage of the chaos engulfing Real Madrid’ and has told Man City to get a deal done for Bellingham.

Guardiola wanted to sign Bellingham for Man City before he left Borussia Dortmund for Madrid in the summer of 2023.

The report has claimed that given that Bellingham was booed and whistled by some Madrid fans at Estadio Bernabeu against Levante, Guardiola ‘believes the time is now’ for Man City to ‘make an effort to attract’ the England international midfielder to the Etihad Stadium.

It has even been claimed that the booing of Bellingham has led Madrid to ‘reconsider’ their stance on Bellingham.

Los Blancos have never wanted to sell the 22-year-old midfielder, but things could change now, according to the report.

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Could Real Madrid sell Jude Bellingham to Man City?

Defensa Central is not always on the ball with its exclusives and inside information on Real Madrid, so we have to take this report with a huge pinch of salt.

While it would be remiss to think that Man City would not have any interest in Bellingham, it is hard to envisage Madrid selling him in the January transfer window or even in the summer of 2026.

While it is true that Bellingham’s best season for Madrid was his debut campaign when then Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti made him a goal machine, we must also note that he is only 22 years of age.

Madrid as a club and as a team are going through a difficult time at the moment.

That does not mean that Madrid will sell their best players, especially someone like Bellingham, who is already a global superstar and has been tipped to become the next Zinedine Zidane.

In February 2025, Ronaldo said about Bellingham on La Sexta during an interview with Edu Aguirre, as relayed by talkSPORT: “I think he also has a spectacular future. He will help Real Madrid a lot.

“He has a long way to go. He reminds me a lot of Zidane. He has a big future.

“Zidane was amazing, a beautiful player, but Bellingham is 21 years old.

“He’s got his whole future ahead of him. He will give a lot to Madrid, because the boy, I think he will be extraordinary.”

Former Madrid manager Ancelotti, too, has previously compared Bellingham to France and Los Blancos great Zidane, saying: “There are things about the way he plays that remind me of Zidane, it’s his extraordinary quality on the ball.”

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Latest Man City transfer news: Liverpool blow, John Stones future

Meanwhile, a report has claimed that it is unlikely that Man City will be able to sign one of Liverpool’s best midfielders anytime soon.

Fulham are close to getting a deal done with Man City for a winger, with Tottenham Hotspur also interested in him.

And finally, sources have told our transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, the latest on John Stones’ future at Man City.