Bellingham saga promises to be tasty as Liverpool lead race ahead of City, United, Madrid | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham is one of the best young footballers in the world and he is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund in 2023.

Having joined the German outfit from Birmingham City for around £22million in 2020, the 19-year-old has blossomed into one hell of a footballer.

Now a mainstay in Gareth Southgate’s England team, the young midfielder is staking a claim to start for the Three Lions at this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.

Bellingham made his 99th appearance for Dortmund against Manchester City on Wednesday evening as his side lost 2-1.

He made it two goals in as many Champions League games when he opened the scoring at the Etihad, only to watch John Stones blast in an equaliser before his former teammate Erling Haaland scored a spectacular winner.

Pretty much every top club in Europe is interested in signing Bellingham.

A few clubs made tentative enquiries in the summer transfer window, but Dortmund told them where to go.

Bellingham is happy in Germany and was not pushing for a departure in the summer; knowing that Dortmund is a great place for him to continue his development.

It is a similar situation to that of Haaland – who joined City when the Premier League champions triggered his £51m release clause.

If the Norweigan striker didn’t have a buyout clause, he probably would have left for more than double that figure.

The Bundesliga outfit will not face this problem when they decide to offload Bellingham.

As far as I’m aware, there is no release clause in his contract, meaning Dortmund hold all the cards.

Multiple reports suggest the English international will move club next year, and he is expected to cost more than £100m.

‘Europe’s biggest clubs’ are expected to battle it out to sign the wonderkid next summer.

Speaking in July, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said “the only problem” with Bellingham is that he is “not on the market”.

The German is apparently a huge fan of the player, and who can blame him?

Liverpool’s midfield is ageing and full of injury-prone players, so Bellingham could be the man to add an adrenaline shot into Klopp’s side.

Klopp is ‘expected’ to sign a new midfielder next summer.

That could be activating the buy option for Arthur Melo for all we know.

Bellingham has to come to the Premier League, but Real Madrid are also believed to be very keen on signing the former Birmingham midfielder.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with the teenager, but transfer guru Fabrizio Romano admitted this week the Red Devils have “never” been close to signing him.

Asked about his future before Dortmund’s match against City, Bellingham said: “The club have done loads for me and made me feel very welcome since I first came and gave me the opportunities to develop even further.

“To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful.”