Chelsea are prepared to make a significant bid to sign Borussia Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham next summer, according to SportBILD (h/t SportWitness).
The Blues made the headlines with their mammoth spending during the summer transfer window. They spent over £250 million to sign eight players for the first-team squad. There could be more recruits brought in next year. Chelsea are already said to have an agreement in place to sign RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku at the end of the season.
BILD now report that the Blues are interested in signing both Declan Rice and Bellingham next summer and the club are willing to pay more than £86m to sign the latter. Chelsea have had long contacts with Dortmund and they are keen to beat off competition from Manchester and Spain. The Bundesliga side reportedly value Bellingham at just over £100m.
Chelsea must secure Bellingham deal
Bellingham is currently one of the most sought-after young talents in world football. At the age of just 19, he is regarded as an indispensable figure in the Dortmund line-up. The England star has the attributes to become a world-class performer. He is strong with his tackles and interceptions, and can also provide key goals and assists with his clever movement in the final third.
Hence, it is no longer surprising that there is fierce competition for his signature. Chelsea are not alone in the player’s pursuit as Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid are all mentioned as potential contenders. The best thing Chelsea can do is to hold negotiations early such that they can seal a pre-agreement for the player in January ahead of a summer move.
They managed to do something similar with Christian Pulisic in 2019. The United States star was signed and loaned back to Dortmund for the second half of the season. Whether they can succeed with a similar ploy is left to be seen. Bellingham would not want to rush any decision over his future and Chelsea will need to persuade the player first before entering into serious transfer talks.
Rio Ferdinand recently hailed him as the ‘full package‘ star after starring against Sevilla in Europe.
