Manchester United could find themselves in 'pole position' to sign highly-rated England international Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund next summer.
That is according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that any interested club must already be 'putting in the groundwork' to try and form a good relationship with Bellingham's father, Mark. It is claimed that football director John Murtough has made creating a good relationship with the latter a 'priority' ahead of any future move for his son.
Bellingham, who will be hoping to be named in Gareth Southgate's England World Cup squad, is attracting interest from a wealth of clubs after an impressive couple of years at Dortmund. The 19-year-old joined the German giants from Birmingham City in June 2020 and has gone from strength-to-strength.
READ MORE: Jude Bellingham has told United what they need would need to do to sign him
United, who tried to sign the midfielder before he packed his bags for Germany, remain keen on securing the youngster's signature, as do, according to various reports, Premier League rivals Liverpool. However, United might stand a better chance of signing Bellingham than their rivals because Murtough has 'struck up a friendship' with the player's father in recent years.
It is claimed that they remain 'close', meaning United could fancy their chances of getting a deal done. The England international scored for Dortmund against Manchester City in the Champions League last week.
Meanwhile, United could move for Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann in the January transfer window. That is according to a report published by The Athletic, who state that the Frenchman faces an 'uncertain future' in Spain.
The versatile forward, who is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, has been linked with a move to England on several occasions in the past. The 31-year-old, who started his senior career at Real Sociedad, is believed to be in the middle of a dispute with Barcelona that could see him 'pushed out' of the club.
Griezmann joined Barcelona from Atletico in 2019 and has scored just 35 goals in 102 games for the La Liga giants. He returned to Atletico on loan in August last year, initially on a season-long loan deal. However, the loan featured a clause that Atletico could trigger to extend his temporary stay for another season, something which they chose to activate.
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