Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has admitted that he 'would love' to see England international Jude Bellingham play for Newcastle next season but believes it'd be too early for the Magpies.
The 19-year-old has been the standout star for the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup having scored their opening goal of the tournament with a header against Iran, the first for his country.
Among the goal involvements in Qatar, Bellingham also has nine goals and three assists in 22 appearances for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund this season and even captained the side in a 3-2 loss to FC Koln.
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If the Magpies were to go after Bellingham however, they'd face incredibly tough competition with teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City all vying for the youngster's signature.
Earlier this week, reports in Germany suggested Dortmund will only consider selling Bellingham if they receive a bid for him in the region of €100million (£86m) to €150m (£129m) - and while Newcastle are the richest club in the world, that'd make him the third-most-expensive player ever only behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
"Hasn’t Jude Bellingham always belonged in Northumberland?" Shearer was asked in a YouTube video on the BBC Sport channel.
The former Magpies striker agreed with the question but admitted it could be a little too soon for Newcastle to be drawing in some of football's biggest stars to St. James' Park.
"Well, I would love to think so, but I would suspect that he might have a few more offers from clubs that are already going to be challenging for the Premier League rather than a team that will be in years to come."
Of course, Newcastle might not want to jump into the deep end of the transfer market with a Bellingham deal now but they might've a few years ago when they did have a chance to sign him.
According to the Telegraph, then-manager Steve Bruce wanted to bring a 16-year-old Bellingham in from his boyhood club Birmingham City but obviously no deal ever went through.
In the unlikely event Newcastle do chase after the teenager and land his services, they'd undoubtedly have one of the strongest midfields in the Premier League with him lining up alongside the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Joe Willock.
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