Jamie Carragher has insisted Jude Bellingham would be best off signing for a Premier League side this summer before going on to represent Real Madrid at the peak of his career.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is being chased by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, though Los Blancos are another side who continue to be linked with the 19-year-old as they search for long-term replacements for the ageing duo of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Liverpool's midfield issues have been well-documented this season and many supporters view Bellingham as the ideal solution to the team's struggles in this department. Jordan Henderson's seemingly tight-knit relationship with the player could prove decisive in a potential deal, but the final say will ultimately come down to the Birmingham City academy graduate.
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Sharing his view on how the Bellingham saga is likely to play out, Carragher is of the view the teenager should return home to England at the end of the current campaign due to it not being the right time to seal a La Liga switch.
"Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world. I always used to say this to Steven Gerrard if he was ever going to go, because Real Madrid used to come knocking for him every year," he told Sky Sports. "I always used to say to him, 'If you were ever going to go, you've almost got to go at your peak'.
"It's very ruthless over there in terms of the competition to play and the superstars they buy. If I was Jude Bellingham, if you go to Real Madrid now, where do you go from Real Madrid? It almost feels like if you were leaving Real Madrid, you were taking a step down in some ways. For me, I think he should sign for an English club on a five or six-year year deal and then go to Real Madrid."
Comparing Bellingham's situation to that of Erling Haaland, Carragher has claimed both players have the luxury of dictating their transfer moves at precise points and expects the former Dortmund team-mates to both end up in Spain.
"I actually think Erling Haaland has already got this mapped out in his own head in terms of him going to Manchester City; I think he already knows how long he is going to be there. I think there will be a deal done where he eventually ends up at Real Madrid," expressed the Liverpool legend.
"There are certain players who are that good they can actually map their own career out of where they're going to go and when they're going to move. Very few players can do that. Haaland is one and I think Jude Bellingham is another. If he said we're going to do four years at Liverpool or Manchester City and then, when my contract has two years to go, I am going to go to Real Madrid at 24 and will do four or five years there. When I get to 30, we will see where we are then."
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