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Football London
Football London
Sport
Jake Stokes & Louie Chandler

Marina Granovskaia told why Chelsea must beat Liverpool and Man Utd to Jude Bellingham transfer

A number of players impressed as England thrashed San Marino 10-0 on Monday night including both current and - potentially - future Chelsea players.

Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Conor Gallagher all made it onto the pitch during the thrashing, while Tammy Abraham came off the bench to grab a goal and an assist as well.

It secured England's passage to the Qatar World Cup in emphatic style while the likes of Billy Gilmour and Jorginho will need the play-offs to progress with Scotland and Italy respectively.

Many fans also looked to the future during the hammering, too. Borussia Dortmund ace Jude Bellingham started the game in midfield alongside Kalvin Phillips and was impressive once again.

Chelsea are reportedly monitoring the 18-year-old and during coverage of the match both Ian Wright and Roy Keane piled praise on Bellingham, expressing their excitement about the player.

If Blues' director Marina Granovskaia was looking for another reason to make a move for the Birmingham youth graduate, then she need look no further.

"He has got everything," Wright said during ITV's coverage of the game.

"He’ll probably run a game like this but what you’re seeing - not just in a game like this but for Dortmund in playing every game - is the maturity of him.

"These games, continually improving. As long as he can keep himself right, keep himself fit, you have to say in a year's time he’s probably a starter for England."

Fellow pundit Roy Keane was in agreement with Wright, heaping praise on the teenager's all-round game following his recent displays with Borussia Dortmund.

"I saw him recently in a Champions League game for Dortmund and he was producing passes [that] even I didn’t know he had in his locker quite yet, and we’re not seeing him week in week out we’re obviously seeing the Champions League stuff," the Manchester United legend said.

"The potential of this boy is, a good size, he looks like a footballer, he looks like a boxer! Strong, powerful boy. Gareth must be rubbing his hands."

Landing Bellingham will not be easy by any means.

Even if Chelsea decide to meet Dortmund's minimum asking price for Bellingham (which reportedly stands at £101 million) they will then have to fend off competition from Manchester United and Liverpool, both of whom are also said to be huge admirers of the player.

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