Borussia Dortmund are preparing to go to battle with Manchester City once again on the Champions League stage as the Bundesliga giants travel to the Etihad Stadium tonight (Wednesday).
Dortmund are a club that are revered for signing extremely talented players and turning them into superstars. We saw it with Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland.
The next esteemed member to join that list and perhaps smash the club-record £120 million fee the Black and Yellows received for Dembele from Barcelona is Jude Bellingham.
The all-round midfielder extraordinaire has been a truly remarkable player to watch in the German top-flight over the last two years but even as a 16-year-old, when he made his breakthrough with Birmingham City, you just knew that he was going to be something special.
He has developed into one of the world’s best players in his position over the past two years at Signal Iduna Park and what is even more astounding about his current level of abilities is that he is still just 19, and the 2022-23 campaign will be over before he turns 20. After 98 games for the Black and Yellows, the central midfielder has been involved in 30 goals (12 goals and 18 assists) and won a DFB-Pokal title.
This term, he has completed 19 dribbles and only Lionel Messi (30) has completed more in Europe’s top five leagues, further highlighting just how spectacular he is. Due to his continual impressive form, Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg said he is “convinced” the Englishman will be off next summer.
Given his phenomenal talent and maturity for his age, almost every big club in Europe will be desperate to snap him up because they know they will be getting a player who could run their midfield for years to come. At the start of this campaign, he was placed in Dortmund's leadership group, becoming the team's third captain - that is how much of a recognised figure he already is. All the speculation surrounding his next move will be nothing new for the young star. Clubs across the continent were sending scouts to watch him when he was dazzling at youth level and he will certainly be starting think about which potential destination would serve him better for the next stage of his career.
Liverpool
Following an underwhelming and concerning start to the season, it is clear that Liverpool are in desperate need of quality in the middle of the park. For Jurgen Klopp, it seems he needs to find a way to better connect play from defence to attack and the only player capable of doing that in his squad is Thiago Alcantara, and he is 31. Bellingham is the perfect player for Klopp to look at as a long-term asset to the team, along with Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho. He is an excellent box-to-box player being equally as good offensively as he is defensively, just the type of player the Reds are crying out for. Bellingham would acknowledge Klopp’s influence on young players and how he could benefit his development.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola is all too familiar with what this young man can do after he scored against City in the 2020-21 quarter-finals. The Spaniard was flabbergasted by the youngster’s performances and how good he was for his age, saying: "I can't believe it, maybe he's a liar! He's so good for 17 years old, he's a fantastic player. There was one moment when he didn't get the ball from central defenders, how he shouts and demands that ball to him at 17 means a lot.”
He possesses all the attributes that leave even a manager like Guardiola speechless and with another up close meeting tonight, the City boss could be pushing for the club to go back to Dortmund next summer to sign another magnificent footballer. For Bellingham, City play a style of football that he is well-equipped for and it would be a difficult decision to turn them down if they came knocking for his services - not to mention he’d be reunited with Haaland and Manuel Akanji.
Real Madrid
For a player of Bellingham’s quality, it is hard to imagine Real Madrid not being one of the clubs interested in him. The club is already stacked with excellent players to play in midfield but they could soon be in need of a replacement. Despite his continuing ability to produce at the highest level, Luka Modric is 37 and sadly it won’t be long until football bids farewell to the Croatian legend. He is the man that keeps Los Blancos ticking, sets them away on attacks and can provide the perfect defence-splitting pass, and Bellingham has been tipped to be his potential successor for several months now.
Manchester United
We are currently seeing steady improvement from Manchester United under Erik ten Hag and the Dutchman could be in the market for another midfielder next summer, particularly one of Bellingham’s calibre. Although there is no doubt that the club would have the financial resources to broker a move, it is more about whether they could provide a strong environment for his growth given the Red Devils are in a period of transition. However, given how Ten Hag’s Ajax side played, Bellingham would thrive in that 4-3-3 system if United can show they can get up to speed with their rivals in 2022-23.
If United could pull off such a deal, it would be a huge coup for them and they would certainly have a much stronger-looking squad if they had Bellingham on their books. Given his close relationship with Sancho, that could be an avenue that the club could explore in a year’s time to help their evolution take another giant leap forward.
