Former Chelsea defender Scott Mino has told Ladbrokes (via football.london) that Jude Bellingham could choose to join Arsenal ahead of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Bellingham has been heavily tipped to exit Borussia Dortmund next summer with several elite European clubs said to be vying for his signature. The Englishman has already established himself as an integral part of Schwarz Gelben and is currently enjoying one of his best campaigns for the former Bundesliga champions.
Bellingham has already scored nine goals and has registered three assists in his 22 appearances for Dortmund this season. Four of his goals this term have come in the UEFA Champions League. Therefore, it is no surprise that there could well be a bidding war for him next summer.
Marca reported recently that Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all battling to sign Bellingham with Dortmund slapping a £130m [€150m] valuation on his head.
However, Mino believes that Arsenal can become an attractive proposition for the 19-year-old, if they finish second in the league this term or better, go on to win the title. He told Ladbrokes:
“Up until the start of this season, everybody was saying he’s Liverpool’s player because they were right up there with Manchester City. But I’m still wondering whether or not they’re going to make the top four.
“He’s good enough to play a key role for the very best teams in the world, and the very best team for me is Manchester City, but if Arsenal can finish in the top four, or better still, in second place, or even go on to win the title, then all of a sudden they become as attractive a proposition as City, just like that.
“When you look at what that team is all about under Mikel Arteta, and there’d be a need for them to strengthen if they’re playing on Europe’s biggest stage, why couldn’t they go and get a Bellingham?”
(via football.london)
Bellingham’s entourage is said to be demanding a lucrative and concrete offer from the English clubs that are interested in him. There have also been reports suggesting the internal dissatisfaction among the players in Dortmund regarding Bellingham’s ‘derogatory’ body language on the pitch, at times. Moreover, the move to make him the third-choice captain of the team was also deemed as ‘controversial’.
Our View
Arsenal would surely raise a few eyebrows if they went all-in for Bellingham. There have hardly been any links suggesting the North London club’s interest in the Stourbridge-born midfielder. But, Mikel Arteta has been developing an exciting project at Emirates stadium; the fruits of which are beginning to show. Arsenal are currently five points clear of Manchester City and have a realistic chance of winning the Premier League for the first time since 2003.
Arteta has not had a stable midfield at his disposal this season. Mohamed Elneny has been out for three months while Thomas Partey and Oleksandr Zinchenko have also endured injury lay-offs. The Spaniard also believes that his squad is short and will likely target midfield signings in the coming transfer windows. Therefore, a move for Bellingham could make sense.
Arsenal-Bellingham at the start of the season would have been deemed impossible but Arteta’s side has been playing some fabulous football this term and are slowly turning into an attractive destination for young talents across the world. They will, however, need to do extremely well to beat the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid to Bellingham’s signature.
