Manchester United are looking to beat Liverpool to the signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham in the summer transfer window, according to Telegraph.
Bellingham is attracting interest from a host of clubs including Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and PSG, however, the report says United have now joined the race.
The newspaper claims Man United are ready to enter into a bidding war for the 19-year-old’s signature at the end of the season following his inspired performances in Germany as well as for England.
He was impressive at his first-ever World Cup in Qatar for the Three Lions where he played every minute in Qatar as England exited the tournament in the quarter-finals by former champions France.
Since moving to Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020, the Englishman has become of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga, making 123 appearances in all competitions, scoring 20 goals, and registering 24 assists.
He was linked with a move away from the Signal Iduna Park last summer but Dortmund were not interested in parting ways just yet, having sold Erling Haaland to Manchester City.
Bellingham is a household name now and has made 16 goal contributions in 33 games for The Black and Yellows this season as they challenge for the league title. Dortmund lie second in the table with 50 points, two points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
Reinforcement
Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Bellingham and they are said to be pushing hard to get a deal done. Klopp is looking to bolster his midfield options this summer and many feel the Merseysiders are favourites to land Bellingham with some insiders suggesting Anfield is the players preferred destination.
However, the Telegraph says rival clubs such as Manchester United refuse to accept this position and the Red Devils are hoping to hijack Liverpool’s attempts to sign Bellingham having registered their interest in luring him back to England this summer.
The report claims that ‘talks are intensifying’ between all parties as the teenager edges closer to making a decision, with sources telling the newspaper that ‘everything is open’ regarding the players future.
Erik ten Hag is planning to strengthen his squad this summer and a new central midfielder is seemingly on the agenda. The Telegraph says United have a ‘genuine interest’ in Bellingham and they are ready to join the bidding for his signature.
It is believed that talks over Bellingham’s future are finally starting to take shape and he is expected to make a decision in the next few weeks over his preferred destination.
According to Telegraph, Bellingham’s transfer fee is expected to be around £110m – which would represent a record for a British player, surpassing the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish. It would also top the transfer paid by a British club which stands at the £106m Chelsea committed to sign midfielder Enzo Fernandez in January.
Liverpool are clearly desperate to sign Bellingham, however, failure to qualify for the Champions League would make the move more complicated. If the Merseysiders miss out on the top four, that could pave the way for Man Utd to sign Bellingham and he’d be a sensational signing if they could pull it off.
Read more: Report: Man Utd plot ‘sensational’ deal to sign £25m star but face battle with Chelsea
