Manchester City have ‘suddenly’ emerged as potential candidates to sign Jude Bellingham, largely thanks to Erling Haaland, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
Bellingham is set to be one of the most in-demand stars during next summer’s transfer window, and the race to secure his signature has already begun amongst Europe’s top clubs.
What is the latest news involving Bellingham?
In a recent report by The Athletic, City were named among Bellingham’s lengthy list of potential suitors, but the competition for his services is expected to be fierce.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all said to ‘retain a strong interest’ in the England international, while Dortmund have not given up hope of keeping him at the Signal Iduna Park.
“Hopefully he can stay, next season and for a long time. We try to keep our best players,” Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl recently told BT Sport. “But in the end, money is another aspect and England pays a lot more than Germany.”
However, if Bellingham does push for a move, the Bundesliga outfit are adamant he is valued at around €150 million (£131.6m) due to his outstanding potential and the fact his contract isn’t set to expire until 2025.
The Sun has also claimed that Haaland has informed his former teammate just how move he is loving life at the Etihad Stadium, potentially swinging the balance of power in their favour.
What has Sheth said about Bellingham?
In an interview with GiveMeSport, Sheth said: “These reports are out there that he's spoken to Jude Bellingham.
“A lot of talk was it's almost a done deal to Liverpool, it looked like that was going to be his destination. But suddenly, you've got a player who has played a few seasons with Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, maybe in his ear saying, ‘you need to come here.
“This is where it's happening. This is where you're going to win trophies. This is where you'll be able to fulfil your potential’.”
Would Bellingham be a good signing?
ESPN editor David Cartlidge previously described Bellingham as a “machine”, and it’s easy to see why when assessing his statistics.
The 6 foot 1 ace has registered 13 goals and 19 assists in 101 appearances across all competitions for Dortmund, claiming one DFB-Pokal along the way.
As per FBref, Bellingham has also ranked in the 97th percentile for completed dribbles and for touches in the attacking penalty area, 96th for progressive passes received, 94th for total shots, 88th for shot-creating actions, and 87th for progressive carries amongst his positional peers over the last year.
Adding Bellingham to Pep Guardiola’s already embarrassment of riches at City would make for a daunting prospect for the rest of the Premier League.