Jude Bellingham: Dortmund tell Man Utd and Liverpool transfer target he can go
Suraj Radia
- 14 Nov 2022 08:55 CST
- 3 min read
Jude Bellingham will be allowed to leave Dortmund if he asks to as the club cannot afford to compete with interested teams, according to the German side’s CEO.
Bellingham has been strongly linked with a Dortmund exit and could command a fee of around €150 million, with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool all believed to be considering a move.
The 19-year-old’s contract isn’t set to expire until 2025 but Dortmund are planning to discuss his future after the World Cup, with CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke hoping for an amicable resolution.
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"We will hold talks now, as soon as [the World Cup in] Qatar is over, and then we'll have a fundamental talk about what he would like," Watzke said.
"He just needs to tell us if he'd like to stay or if he'd like to go. In both cases we'll talk about it very pleasantly and reasonably together. In general we can imagine that he'd stay with us, but we can't behave as if this topic wasn't on the table.
"If he says 'I'd like to do something else,' then the really big [clubs] in Europe will be there and we can't afford to fight financially."
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Where will Bellingham likely end up?
Bellingham has established himself as one of the elite young stars of world football since joining Dortmund for £25m in 2020.
The former Birmingham man has scored nine goals in all competitions from midfield this season and is set to be a key part of England’s World Cup campaign after being included in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad.
A return to England is a strong possibility for Bellingham and Liverpool are believed to be leading the chase for him, however a move could be largely dependent on whether they qualify for Champions League football.
Real Madrid have reportedly identified Bellingham as their priority target for next summer, with veteran midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric both in the final year of their contracts.
While Chelsea and Manchester United are also rumoured to be interested, neither are believed to have a strong chance of beating their rivals to Bellingham’s signing, in part due to financial fair play constraints.
With Bellingham set to command a fee that would make him one of the most expensive players of all time, his transfer could command a bidding war, something which City or Madrid would be most equipped to win and giving them the best chance of sealing his signature.
Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea, Dortmund, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham
