Jude Bellingham is set to be at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war later this year and Borussia Dortmund can demand a huge fee for the midfielder, according to a new report. The England international is incredibly touted to be worth more than World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe.
Bellingham was a standout player for England at the World Cup and his performances confirmed his status as one of the best young players in the world. The 19-year-old is the primary transfer target of Liverpool, who are in need of midfield reinforcements, with James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita set to be out of contract this summer.
But Real Madrid are also among the clubs desperate to sign the England international. They plan to pitch themselves as the best place for him to continue developing his game.
Bellingham’s current contract with Dortmund runs until June 2025 and the German club reportedly value him at around £130million. Dortmund lost their previous most-prized asset Erling Haaland to Manchester City in the summer and are determined to extract the most out of Bellingham.
They will be interested to read the findings of a new CIES Football Observatory report, which rates Bellingham as the most valuable player in the world. Though, the list should be taken with a pinch of salt given Mbappe's current global presence on the game.
Here are their top 10 most valuable players, with youth leading the way as the January transfer window opens.
10. Federico Valverde (£108m)
At 24, Valverde is the oldest player in the top 10, but his rise in value has come from a brilliant period of form at Real Madrid. The Uruguay international has emerged as one of Los Blancos’ key players under Carlo Ancelotti, with his all-round skillet shining in a star-studded team.
With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric ageing, Valverde is leading the next generation of Real midfielders, with Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga alongside him. He has six goals and two assists in LaLiga this season.
Unsurprisingly, Real have tied Valverde down to a contract that runs until June 2027, meaning he isn’t likely to be involved in any transfer speculation any time soon.
9. Josko Gvardiol (£110m)
Gvardiol used the World Cup as a stage to show his talents and likely added a decent amount of his transfer value in the process. The Croatian defender impressed in Qatar with his positional intelligence, calmness under pressure and passing range.
Despite being 20 years old, Gvardiol already has plenty of experience under his belt, with 19 caps for Croatia and 65 games for RB Leipzig. He has already been strongly linked with Chelsea, who are interested despite signing Wesley Fofana in the summer and Benoit Badiashile in January.
Gvardiola is under contract until June 2027 with Leipzig, who have a good track record of selling defenders for huge profits, with Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) and Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich) leaving in recent years.
8. Jamal Musiala (£128m)
Another youngster excelling at one of Germany’s top clubs. Musiala has already established himself as a key player for Bayern Munich – and was arguably Germany’s brightest attacking spark at the World Cup too.
Given that profile, his transfer value is unsurprising. Musiala famously left Chelsea to join Bayern’s academy and has been reaping the rewards of that decision ever since. He has already contributed 27 goals and 17 assists in 100 appearances for Bayern and, with a contract until June 2026, appears unlikely to be leaving the German giants.
7. Gavi (£129m)
Gavi’s apparent transfer value may seem a lot, but Barcelona consider him to be a lot, lot more valuable than CIES. When the young midfielder penned a new contract in September, committing himself to the club until June 2026, a €1bn (£865m) buyout clause was inserted into the deal.
Hands-off warnings don’t come much more obvious than that – and it’s easy to see why Barca are so enamoured with their 18-year-old magician.
Gavi was exceptional at the World Cup for Spain and is already a lynchpin for Xavi’s Barcelona side. He has already played 68 times for the Catalan club and is earning comparisons with Xavi’s old midfield partner Andres Iniesta.
6. Pedri (£150m)
Gavi’s midfield partner for club and country is apparently worth more money. He also has a €1bn buyout clause in his Barcelona contract and is similarly not for sale.
Two years Gavi’s senior, Pedri’s worth may be heightened by his greater experience. The 20-year-old has 12 goals and seven assists in 94 games for Barca, as well as 18 caps for Spain. It’s fair to say that Xavi is fond of him.
"Pedri has no ceiling," he told Goal. "He has all the skills that a footballer has to have, in this case a midfielder, he has talent, he has sacrifice, he is strong defensively, he can play three games in a row, he has everything to make a difference.”
5. Erling Haaland (£153m)
Haaland joined Manchester City for a fee of £51m over the summer – and the extent of that bargain is highlighted once again by CIES’ report. He has already scored 27 goals for City in just 22 games across all competitions and looks set to plunder plenty more in Pep Guardiola’s side for years to come.
The Norwegian goal machine reportedly has a €200m (£175.5m) release clause written into his contract with City, which becomes active in 2024. City are unlikely to be keen to sell the 22-year-old who looks perfectly suited to their style of play.
4. Vinicius Junior (£167m)
Real Madrid paid Flamengo a reported £38m for Vinicius Junior way back in May 2017, with the Brazilian forward joining a year later. Now 22, that looks like money well spent, with the fleet-footed wide forward busy showing just how good he is for club and country.
Real forked out over £100m to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea in July 2019 but it is Vinicius who has filled the boots of Gareth Bale on the left wing. He has 46 goals and 48 assists in 192 games for Los Blancos already and looks set to establish himself as one of the biggest stars in the world over the coming years.
3. Kylian Mbappe (£167m)
Real Madrid fought tooth and nail to sign Mbappe last year, but he ended up staying at Paris Saint-Germain, who eventually presented him with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
After lots of speculation he would join Real, PSG announced in May that Mbappe had signed a new deal, which Le Parisien say is worth a whopping €630m (£546m) over the next few years for Mbappe. PSG have pushed back against that figure.
Whatever the figures, PSG managed to hold onto one of the world’s best players. At the World Cup, Mbappe showed just how special he is, firing France to the final where he became just the second man to score a hat-trick in the showpiece finale.
Mbappe’s contract only runs until June 2024, with an extra year optional, so another transfer saga is likely only just around the corner. The length of his deal is the main reason why CIES don’t put him top of the list.
2. Phil Foden (£176m)
Foden is worth more than his Man City teammate Haaland and Mbappe, thanks to his performances and the fact he signed a new contract in October which runs until 2027.
He is now paid around £225,000 per week, with the deal reflecting his status in Guardiola’s side. Foden, 22, has 53 goals and 36 assists in 193 games for his boyhood club, who will be hoping he can guide them to Champions League glory for the first time this season.
1. Jude Bellingham (£183m)
The most valuable player in the world is a 19-year-old from Stourbridge. While his transfer value is subjective, there is no doubt that he will command a huge fee when he does eventually leave Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund are in a strong position when it comes to selling Bellingham, who has been tracked by Liverpool, Real Madrid, PSG and Chelsea, among others. There is very little chance of a deal being done in January, but clubs are already manoeuvring and jockeying for position ahead of the summer, when he might be available.
Should he move to the Premier League, Jack Grealish ’s transfer record of £100m is almost certain to be broken.
