Manchester City are hopeful and are said to be optimistic that English midfielder Jude Bellingham will turn down Real Madrid and Liverpool in favor of moving to the Etihad next season.
The 19-year-old had an excellent World Cup which added to his reputation as one of the most sought after players in the world.
The Daily Mail reports that it was Liverpool who were the frontrunners for Bellingham’s signing, but in recent days, Spanish giants Real Madrid have overtaken the Merseyside side as favorites to sign the midfielder.
The reigning La Liga champions are believed to be willing to pay a staggering fee of £100m to secure the services of the English star.
Bellingham’s future at Borussia Dortmund has always been in the cloud and his magnificent World Cup would surely mean that the German team would like to make a big profit on the teenager when he leaves for greener pastures.
Manchester City believe Bellingham could snub any of his potential suitors to play for Pep Guradiola, the latter of whom has a contract with the club until 2025. Furthermore, Bellingham’s former Dortmund teammate Erling Haaland is also in the Manchester side that could play a role in his decision.
Archrivals also in the race
Arch-rivals Manchester United are also in the race to sign the midfielder and the Red Devils could make an offer for the teenager next summer.
The Red Devils have been big fans of Bellingham since he moved to Germany from Birmingham City in 2020. United believe they can lure Bellingham to Old Trafford by offering him a key role in the club’s future.
French giants Paris St Germain are also interested in the player and club boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “Everybody wants him, I’m not going to hide it.”
However, the report states that the Paris-based side is no longer interested in English and probably wants to avoid a bidding war between potential suitors.
Bellingham, who can play as a midfield pivot or box-to-box midfielder, has scored 21 goals and provided 19 assists in 112 appearances for Dortmund.
