Manchester City ‘in the lead’ for England starlet Jude Bellingham

With Liverpool out of the race, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are set to go toe-to-toe with Spanish giants Real Madrid for the coveted midfield wunderkind in a move that would set another Premier League transfer record

By Andrew Thompson

April 12, 2023 at 8:35 pm GMT+1

Liverpool and Jude Bellingham is a match that was meant to be made in heaven, but after the Merseyside giants have taken themselves out of negotiations with the England starlet on account of the well-documented cost behind any move for the 19-year-old, there remains no shortage of suitors for the Borussia Dortmund wunderkind in the run-up to a departure from the Ruhr valley this summer.

Despite the German outfit expecting to receive somewhere in the region of £130m, that looks to not stand in the way of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City making a play at the midfield starlet according to reports in ESPN, in a move which would reunite the England international with Norwegian hitman Erling Haaland.

Questions remain on the futures of both Ilkay Gündogan and Bernardo Silva, which has prompted City to look to Bellingham as their possible key addition come the summer transfer window.

Gündogan is out of contract in the summer and is widely expected to walk away from the Etihad before the 32-year-old would settle into what would likely be the final deal of his career, while Silva could want a new challenge after previously being linked with a move last summer that ultimately did not materialize.

Liverpool see Jude Bellingham deal as ‘too expensive’ due to £130m fee, huge salary over 6 years and commission 🔴

Real Madrid & Manchester City, in the race — Man United situation depends on club sale.

Liverpool will 100% sign 2/3 midfielders.

🎥 https://t.co/lf8lGl2B7d pic.twitter.com/nqBtZgDCAy
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 12, 2023

While City certainly will have the finances and room in the team to accommodate a potential Bellingham arrival, much of the same can be said for Spanish giants Real Madrid, who look set to rival City for the midfielder’s signature.

Veteran Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić remains vital in the Spanish capital but is pushing the age of 40, while Toni Kroos is also getting up there in age while no longer being entirely consistent. Bellingham could be slotted into a long-term midfield three alongside French international pair Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni in a move that would sort Madrid’s midfield for the foreseeable future.

Suggestions that Bellingham does not fancy a move to the Etihad would only shore up Madrid’s interest, but with the summer window a few months away, any outcome is a long way off from being guaranteed.