Trent Alexander-Arnold has sent Jude Bellingham a message at the height of speculation regarding the Borussia Dortmund star's future. The 19-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with an exit from Borussia Dortmund for some time now, with Chelsea and Liverpool among several of Europe's biggest clubs vying for his signature.
Bellingham has been subject to long-term interest from Chelsea, football.london understands. 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 Graham Potter in the market for a new midfielder this summer amid the uncertain futures of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, Chelsea will match any bid that is made in order to acquire Bellingham's services, according to Telegraph journalist Matt Law on the 'London Is Blue Podcast'.
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The report states that the Blues are not favourites to sign the midfielder and, while it's said that Todd Boehly will 'bid big', a decision on Bellingham's next club will not be made under the influence of just money. So, the midfielder's friendships could be a huge factor in his decision when choosing his next club - should he leave Dortmund, of course.
Bellingham, who sees his contract at the Signal Iduna Park expire in 2025, was pictured with Alexander-Arnold out in Qatar. The Liverpool defender posted said image of himself and the Chelsea target on Twitter with the caption: "Stroll in the City with Bro."
Earlier this month, Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail reported that Manchester City have a strong relationship with Dortmund which could hand the Premier League champions a huge advantage in negotiations. Bellingham is also known to be a close friend of Erling Haaland having enjoyed great success together in the Bundesliga.
Reece James, Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling are also close to the midfielder, it seems. After England's 6-2 win over Iran in the World Cup where Bellingham scored, he posted an image to his Instagram to earmark what was a historic moment.
The Chelsea trio flooded the comment section with messages of support, as did his other friends, teammates and supporters.
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