The Premier League’s big-hitters may struggle to sign Jude Bellingham next year due to the situation of his Borussia Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland, according to reports.
Bellingham has only been with Dortmund for just over a year and is still only 18 years old, but has already cemented his reputation as one of the world’s most exciting young players.
Having impressed the England coaching staff over the summer, the midfielder caught the eye once again during Dortmund’s 2-1 win over Besiktas on Wednesday night.
Bellingham opened the scoring with a well-taken near-post finish and laid the German side’s second on a plate for Haaland with a brilliant run and cut-back.
That performance has heightened speculation over his future with Dortmund, with the Premier League ’s biggest clubs keeping an eye on his progression.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are all reportedly interested in acquiring his services in the coming transfer windows, but there could be a problem.
The Sun reports that Dortmund will be reluctant to sell their latest emerging star next year because Haaland is ‘certain’ to leave when his buyout clause is triggered.
The Norwegian striker has a clause in his Dortmund contract which can only be triggered in the summer of 2022 and will allow him to leave if a club stumps up between £64million (€75m) and £85m (€100m), according to ESPN.
Having lost Jadon Sancho to United for £73m this summer, and with Haaland’s departure beyond their control, Dortmund are unwilling to lose Bellingham as well.
Bellingham signed a contract until June 2025 when he joined Dortmund from Birmingham City for £25m last summer and he is not pushing for a transfer just yet.
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The midfielder is happy to be playing regularly in a young and vibrant team - and his manager is certainly pleased with his development.
“Jude is just a great guy in every single way,” Marco Rose said after Wednesday’s win in Istanbul.
"His mentality, the willingness to work for the team, the intensity with which he plays football, the will to win and of course the solutions he finds on the football pitch.
“The way he assisted the second goal and scored the first himself is extraordinary. That's why we're glad to have such a boy with us."
Liverpool will be in the market for a new central midfielder next year after opting not to replace Gini Wijnaldum in the summer transfer window.
They have been strongly linked with Bellingham, with the Daily Star reporting recently that they were willing to break their £80m transfer record in order to land him.
Meanwhile, having signed Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane this summer, United are also targeting a midfielder in future windows.
Bellingham is just one of the names they have been linked with alongside Bellingham’s England team-mate Declan Rice of West Ham.
Man City are bracing themselves for the retirement of Fernandinho and, in splashing out £100m on Jack Grealish, have shown the willingness to pursue high-value English targets already.
