Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham continues to be one of the most talked-about footballers on the planet as several European clubs line up a summer move. Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are the main suitors targeting a transfer but Dortmund don't appear set on just rolling over and allowing the teenager to leave without a fight.
The Blues are thought to be slightly behind Madrid and Liverpool in the race to sign Bellingham, after spending much of the January transfer window in search of a new midfielder. On deadline day Enzo Fernandez was acquired for £106million and that fee spent, along with the type of player Fernandez is, could see Chelsea first focus on other positions on the pitch that require bolstering.
Alongside Bellingham, Declan Rice is also linked with Chelsea. However, they face a battle there as well. Arsenal are understood to now be leading the race for the 24-year-old's signature and have done more groundwork since the turn of the year, following dialogue with Rice's representatives.
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Nonetheless, Chelsea could be easily swayed to put more efforts into signing Bellingham as he will be playing at Stamford Bridge in a few weeks. Dortmund drew Chelsea in the Champions League last-16 and after a 1-0 victory for the German outfit at Signal Iduna Park last Wednesday, Bellingham and co. head to west London on March 7.
A staggering midfield performance from Bellingham for example, could see Boehly and his recruitment team go all in for the 19-year-old, exactly as they did for Fernandez. After watching the 22-year-old at the World Cup for Argentina, Boehly and Behdad Eghbali became enchanted by the former Benfica star and thus made him transfer target number one.
With talk surrounding Bellingham going quiet the last few months, Dortmund's sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, delivered the latest update on his future.
"Jude feels very, very well at Borussia Dortmund. But there are no new talks, let alone requests for him," he told BILD. "We need Jude to achieve our goals this season and we’re glad he’s focused so much on football and has no other issues on his mind at the moment.
"Jude still has two years of contract and is a very important part of this team. That’s why I naturally wish that he would play for BVB longer."
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