Chelsea look to have taken a major blow in their transfer pursuit of Jude Bellingham this summer. The teenager is set to be the centre of one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer with plenty of Europe's big clubs keen to sign him.
Bellingham joined Borussia Dortmund from boyhood club Birmingham City in 2020 and has become one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe. After shining at the Qatar World Cup, his signature is expected to be on top of many club’s list at the end of the season and it's said that the Blues are joined by Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the line of potential suitors.
It's expected that at least £100million will be demanded by the German giants in the summer, with him entering the final two years of his deal. And despite breaking their club record for Enzo Fernandez in January, Chelsea have continued to be linked with the England international.
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However, Todd Boehly's mass spending in the previous two transfer windows have seemed to blow their chances of luring Bellingham to Stamford Bridge. That's according to German journalist Christian Falk, who claims the business conducted in SW6 has turned the 19-year-old away from the Blues.
"He (Bellingham) seems very clear in his plans," he said via his CaughtOffside column. "I head that, before Enzo Fernandez's move to London, Bellingham was looking at what was going on at Chelsea.
"Chelsea were interested but Bellingham saw there wasn't a clear plan at the club, so there wasn't a massive interest in going there."
Champions League football has previously been reiterated as a vital factor in Bellingham's move. However, that now does not seem the case in regard of a move to Liverpool. "I think qualification for Champions League football isn’t the only interesting point for Jude Bellingham as far as Liverpool’s interest in the player is concerned – if they don’t qualify, it wouldn’t be a no-go for the player" Falk continued.
“Of course, the bigger question we’re always talking about is whether Liverpool have the money to buy him in the first place if they don’t secure top-four football at the end of the season.
“Perhaps they’ll have a new owner who will provide the necessary finances to sign Bellingham, perhaps they’ll still qualify for the Champions League and can buy him.
“I think it’s a good sign from Spain that they now understand Jude Bellingham’s preference for a move lies within the Premier League. It’s a good sign for Liverpool fans too that it’s not the case he doesn’t want to wait for the club – he’s not nervous about the decision.”
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