Why Chelsea and Man Utd will support Real Madrid in Champions League final

Tom Weber

• Updated: 10 May 2024 20:58 BST
• 4 min read

Borussia Dortmund could stand to benefit more from losing the Champions League final than winning.

The Black and Yellow have gone on a fairytale run to the showpiece event of Europe's premier competition after eliminating PSG in the semi-finals. Dortmund will square up against Real Madrid, who defeated Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich to book their spot in the final.

It would be an incredible achievement if Dortmund were to lift the trophy. Real Madrid haven't lost a Champions League final since the 1980s and the Germans are coming off an incredibly underwhelming season in terms of domestic results.

However, Dortmund could actually benefit more from losing the final than winning it, at least financially. It is all because of Jude Bellingham. Last summer, Real Madrid signed the English wonderkid from BVB for an initial €103 million.

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As part of the deal, Real Madrid will have to make bonus payments if certain performance-related criteria are met, with the full package potentially becoming one of the most expensive in football history.

Man Utd, Chelsea to root for Madrid

Finishing as runners-up to Real Madrid could see Dortmund pocket as much as €20m, which is €2m more than they were to receive for winning the final. If Bellingham lifts the trophy and gets into the Team of the Tournament, Real Madrid will have to pay out an additional €6m to BVB, with the club of course also receiving a hefty sum for coming second.

This, in turn, would be good news for Chelsea and Man Utd. The two Premier League sides have been keenly watching Dortmund's run in the Champions League due to their loan stars Ian Maatsen and Jadon Sancho.

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Both players are expected to be sold this summer and are keen to stay at Dortmund. The German side, for their part, want to keep them around but the financial outlay required to sign them makes it eminently difficult for the Black and Yellow.

Dortmund will give snapping them up a go this summer and the money they have already received for going deep in Europe will be of massive help. The sum they stand to receive for losing the final will further boost their chances of keeping Sancho and Maatsen around long-term.