Liverpool have been labelled 'favourites' in the battle for Jude Bellingham's signature, with his family reportedly preferring a move to Anfield.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise since joining Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City in the summer of 2020 for a fee in the region of £25m, and has since established himself as a key component of England's quest for World Cup glory in Qatar.
After scoring the Three Lions' opening goal of the tournament during the 6-2 thrashing of Iran, the midfielder caught the eye once more on Sunday evening as he inspired Gareth Southgate's side to a 3-0 triumph over Senegal, setting up a mouth-watering clash with reigning champions France in the quarter-finals.
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Bellingham is largely expected to leave the Bundesliga outfit at the end of the current season, with the race for his signature hotting up with each impressive performance in the Middle East this winter. Recent reports in Germany have claimed that a fee of £130m may be needed to convince Dortmund to part company with their superstar, with the midfielder contracted until 2025.
However, according to BILD head of football, Christian Falk, the Reds are now favourites to sign the midfielder next summer and the Bellingham's, parents Mark and Denise, would prefer a move to Merseyside for their son.
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday morning, Falker tweeted: "TRUE. Liverpool are favourites to sign Jude Bellingham (19) from @BVB next Summer. Talks are more advanced than with Real Madrid. The Family of Bellingham prefers the Transfer to @LFC "
For a long time, Real Madrid had been touted as a potential destination for the 19-year-old. However, reports from Spain earlier this week claimed that president Florentino Perez would not sacrifice the club's economic stability in order to sign Bellingham - possibly suggesting that Jurgen Klopp's side could have nudged themselves ahead in the race for Bellingham's signature.
Meanwhile, club Paris Saint-Germain publicised their potential interest in the England midfielder on Tuesday with chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi describing the teenager as "amazing".
"Amazing player, what a player," Al-Khelaifi told Sky News. "Obviously, England are lucky to have him. He's one of the best players in the tournament. You see how it's his first World Cup and he's calm, relaxed and confident, amazing.
"That's what everyone wants, I'm not going to hide it, but I respect his club. If we want to talk to him, we will talk to the club first."
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