Owen Hargreaves believes Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham can go "wherever he wants" as Liverpool and Real Madrid are rumoured to have made him their top transfer priority for the summer of 2023.
Bellingham was the subject of interest from Liverpool in the summer transfer window, but Dortmund made it clear they wouldn't entertain any sale after Erling Haaland left for Manchester City.
Former England international Hargreaves discussed with Rio Ferdinand what makes Bellingham so special and why he is "one of a kind" as top European clubs will battle it out for the 19-year-old next summer.
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Bellingham scored on Tuesday night at Dortmund started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over FC Copenhagen in Germany.
"He can go wherever he wants," said Hargreaves on BT Sport. "You see now the young French boys they went to Real Madrid, that's where everyone wants to go Real Madrid or Barcelona because everyone wants to play with attacking football. This kid is one of a kind.
"Everyone's going to want him, Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool. He's got to decide. To turn around a club like Manchester United and get them back to the top, I think he could carry that burden. I think the young man - he's not a defensive midfielder [or] a 10, he's just between in an eight.
"He's smart, his weight of pass is good. His greatest attribute is his mentality, he loves football, he cares, got big shoulders, he's the perfect midfield player."
Bellingham was 17-years-old when he took on City with Dortmund in the Champions League and this is when Hargreaves knew he was going to be a star.
"That's how I knew he was going to be a player, he just outplayed every Man City midfield player but the way he walked across the pitch to do those media do's on his own and the way he did this, I thought 'that's a young man that's confident in his own skin' and that's what it is at the top. You come in there's a lot of pressure but I think he's comfortable with everything that comes his way."
Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand highlighted how Bellingham's brain separates him from the rest of the talent across European football.
"There's a lot of players with great ability in the world and we've seen him and in today's times, but it's the bit between the ears that separates the real top, top ones," added Ferdinand.
"They've all got ability, different varying levels of ability but having that mentality and that mindset, that ability to be calm under pressure, be cool, composed in those pressure situations, he seems to have it already."
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