Chelsea look to be at a huge disadvantage in the race to sign Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League for some time now as he continues to impress at Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham has been subject to long-term interest from the Blues, football.london understand. The west Londoners watched the England international during his time as an academy player at Birmingham City but, after failing to act on their interest, the German giants swooped in and signed the teenage sensation instead.
With Todd Boehly in the market for a new midfielder amid the uncertain futures of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, Chelsea are one of several European giants keen to acquire Bellingham's services, according to The Athletic. The report states that Manchester City are one of the many clubs rivalling the Blues for the Englishman, who has been valued at €150million (£131m).
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And, Pep Guardiola's side are believed to have a strong relationship with Dortmund which could hand them a huge advantage in negotiations. Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail has stated that it's likely Bellingham 'ends up' at the Etihad Stadium.
He claims that the two clubs have a 'very strong' relationship following Erling Haaland's move to City in the summer. The Premier League champions activated a €60million (£51.2m) release clause in the Norway international's contract.
Mike Keegan adds that 'initial conversations' between City and Dortmund regarding Bellingham's future have already taken place. In the meantime, the German side's head coach Edin Terzic has predicted the midfielder to dominate the world stage for years to come.
"Borussia Dortmund is well known for offering young talents the platform to play at the highest level," said Terzic last month. "I think Jude is the oldest 19-year-old I’ve ever seen. He’s great on and off the pitch.
"We are really happy with him. It’s a win-win situation. Not only do we benefit from him, but Dortmund is also the right step for him in his development.
"Jude will have a big impact," the Dortmund boss added. "Not only tomorrow and for the rest of the season, but also with the England national team in the next few years. I've been lucky enough to work with Declan Rice at West Ham and I think both of them are going to dominate English football, in terms of the midfield positions, for the next decade.
"This season, Jude has a slightly different role within the team. He’s more attacking, he’s entering the opposition box many times. He already scored eight goals for us this season. This is the next step that we talked about with him before the season.
"We’re very happy that he is performing this way, but we know his development is not finished yet and we are here to support him and to find his limits."
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