England have completed another training session this morning as the Three Lions continue to prepare for their opening World Cup group stage game against Iran on Monday. Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker, who are both recovering from injuries, took part, but a particular star was seemingly absent from the main part of the session.
The Manchester City duo of Walker and Phillips have missed large chunks of the season but were both included in Thursday's session, although Leicester's James Maddison was absent. The 25-year-old came off with an apparent injury in his sides Premier League win over West Ham on Saturday, but it was later confirmed it was just a precaution.
Understandably, England seem to be easing Maddison back into the fold as he was present for the brief chat at the beginning of the session.
READ MORE: Jude Bellingham will demand 'concrete offer' as Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City prepare transfer
Borussia Dortmund midfielder, similarly to his transfer status, was a popular man in England training as several Premier League stars from clubs wanting his signature were chatting and laughing with the teenager.
Raheem Sterling of Chelsea walked onto the training pitch and immediately began teasing Bellingham, who responded with a wry smile and a few light kicks to the back of Sterling's boots.
Arsenal's Ben White also seemed to continue his playful relationship with Bellingham after Gunners supporters began theorising about White sewing seeds of a potential transfer to north London. The pair were spotted sat next to each other in England's team photo, and on the bus that picked up the players from the airport once they had arrived in Qatar.
As the England squad were about to begin a passing drill, White poked away a ball that was under Bellingham's control, which resulted in another tap on the ankle from the teenage midfielder, this time to the ankle of White.
Bellingham received a fair share of physical actions against him though, as Man City's Jack Grealish jokingly jabbed him in the ribs as the 22 outfield players taking part were split into three groups, but Bellingham responded by pushing his head into the chest of Grealish as the pair continued to joke around.
As the intensity of the training session began to step up, Bellingham was sent to the floor by what appeared to be a strong challenge from Phil Foden. The City forward then helped Bellingham to his feet before the drill continued.
A fresh update on the transfer status of Bellingham has emerged with German news outlet Sport Bild revealing how Bellingham's camp are said to be feeling during the speculation over the youngster's future. The report suggests that the England star's representatives will demand that a 'concrete offer' be made by Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City before their client makes a decision on his future.
The report also suggests that speculation surrounding Bellingham's future is starting to affect the rest of the Dortmund squad. This was the case with Erling Haaland's eventual transfer exit as Dortmund reluctantly sold their star striker to avoid speculation disrupting the team's performance.
It has been claimed that "many players" at the Bundesliga club are annoyed by the teenager's "sometimes derogatory body language" on the pitch. Further claims made in the article have stated that the decision by Dortmund to make Bellingham the third-choice captain was seen as "controversial".
It seems Dortmund are open to moving on their star midfielder for the benefit of the club as a whole, with many suitors, including Grealish's Man City, White's Arsenal, and Sterling's Chelsea could be lining up their first official proposals ahead of the summer transfer window, with those three names possibly trying to influence his decision over the next four weeks.
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