19-year-old Jude Bellingham is one of the most highly rated young players in European football. He has drawn the eyes of many big clubs in his last two years with Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham has also established himself in the England national team during this time.
Jude Bellingham is one of the rising young stars of European football. It is no doubt that the Borussia Dortmund star possesses the skill set to make him one of the most desirable youngsters in the football world. The teenager has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool for some time now.
As per The Athletic, Dortmund have put a hefty price tag of €150 million (£131.6 million) on the youngster. With the World Cup coming up, this price tag could go up if Bellingham has a strong tournament.
If any club does pay that amount to sign Bellingham, he will become the most expensive British footballer in history. Right now, Jack Grealish is the most expensive British footballer after his €117.5 million (£100 million) transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City.
Jude Bellingham’s current situation at Dortmund
Jude Bellingham is under contract with Dortmund until 2025. The club bought Bellingham from Birmingham City for an initial £25 million in July 2020. However, the final deal was struck at £30 million. Dortmund intends to offer him improved terms in hopes of a contract extension.
“Jude is very happy at the club; he is very committed to us,” Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl told BT Sport. “Hopefully, he can stay next season and for a long time. We try to keep our best players. Jude is one of those, and we try to keep them for as long as possible.”
“But in the end, money is another aspect, and England pays a lot more than Germany. We have to renew our philosophy every year.”
“The club (Dortmund) have done loads for me and made me feel very welcome since I first came and gave me the opportunities to develop even further. To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful,” Bellingham told The Athletic.
Interests from other European clubs
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a huge admirer of the midfielder but signing him has been a big ask for any club. With Dortmund already losing Erling Haaland to Manchester City, the club has no intention of selling Bellingham for now.
During the pre-season tour of Asia in July, Jurgen Klopp was asked about the Jude Bellingham situation. “He’s not on the market, so that’s the first problem with that player. Actually, it’s the only problem with this player,” he said with a smile.
Although the price tag is too high, Liverpool have a history of not shying away from paying big bucks if the “right player” is available. The Reds signed players like Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, and most recently Darwin Núñez on record-breaking deals.
They certainly think that Jude Bellingham is the right player and are hoping to get him in the transfer window next summer.
Other clubs in Europe are also paying close attention to the situation. Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea are all said to be strongly interested in Bellingham.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is also said to be very impressed with the teenager for a long time now. He described Jude Bellingham as “exceptional” after his brilliant performance in City’s 2-1 Champions League win over Dortmund at the Etihad.
On the other hand, Manchester United and Chelsea have been well known for their heavy interest in the midfielder.
Clubs in England have had long time interest in Bellingham
Although Bellingham attracted the world media in his last couple of years at Dortmund, the big clubs in England have been keeping close tabs on him since about a decade ago.
It is a less known fact that Liverpool tried to sign Bellingham in 2012 for only £9,000. Bellingham was then playing for Birmingham’s U11 team and had a two-day trial at Liverpool. Unfortunately for Liverpool, his family didn’t want to move away from Birmingham.
Manchester United also came quite close to landing Bellingham at Old Trafford, who was only 15 at the time. Again though, the deal could not be struck as the family had loyalty towards Birmingham.
Manchester City and Chelsea also made attempts to sign the youngster but failed. Bellingham later moved to Dortmund, making him the most expensive 17-year-old in football history.
Jude Bellingham’s future at Dortmund will be decided in the next summer’s transfer window. For now, Dortmund is not ready for negotiations as they want to keep the player.
