Chelsea have reportedly joined Liverpool and Real Madrid in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
According to Torcedores, Liverpool and Real Madrid are set to face more competition in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund sensation Jude Bellingham as Chelsea have also entered the fray for his signing.
Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the best young midfielders in the game. The Englishman has taken his game to a whole new level since joining Dortmund in 2020 after he snubbed advances from several English clubs, including Manchester United. In two years in Germany, the 18-year-old has racked up 89 appearances and has been directly involved in 28 goals, while winning the DFB-Pokal.
Bellingham has become a pivotal part of the Black and Yellows setup despite his young age and enjoyed another brilliant season last time out, finishing with six goals and 14 assists from 43 games in all competitions. A regular in the England national squad, the 18-year-old has 15 caps for the Three Lions so far.
Bellingham’s immense quality and potential at such a young age have not gone lost, with Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United making him their top priority for 2023. But they have now been joined by Chelsea, who are also keen on adding the former Birmingham City wonderkid to their roster.
Real Madrid’s interest in Bellingham is not new. Initially, Los Blancos wished to sign the teenage sensation this year itself. However, with Luka Modric renewing his contract and the club shelling out a large sum to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, Los Blancos have decided to postpone the pursuit of the England ace until 2023 and have made him a top priority to potentially replace the ageing Modric.
However, Real Madrid are facing competition from Liverpool, who need to revamp their ageing midfield unit. Captain Jordan Henderson is into his thirties and will soon need to be replaced, with Bellingham emerging as the ideal target. Liverpool are confident of landing the 18-year-old after Manchester City dropped out of the race due to their impending capture of Kalvin Phillips.
But, Chelsea’s entry into the race might complicate matters for Real Madrid and Liverpool. Chelsea, too, need to add some young blood into their midfield department as N’Golo Kante is struggling with fitness issues of late, while his contract expires next year. Jorginho, too, has just a year left on his deal. So, even though a new midfielder could arrive this summer, the Blues want to sign Bellingham in 2023.
Borussia Dortmund would naturally be reluctant to lose the 18-year-old, having tied him to a new contract until 2025. However, they are known to cash in on their star players for the right offer and want at least €100 million for Bellingham next year. The fee should not be an issue for any of the interested clubs, and it will be interesting to see where Bellingham ends up come the summer of 2023.