Chelsea may have received a blow in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham. The England international is listed on most of Europe's top sides transfer list having impressed in the Bundesliga for two seasons.
After becoming a regular at Dortmund and for Gareth Southate's England side, Bellingham will reportedly cost as much as £150million. A deal of that magnitude would see him smash the British transfer record set in January by Todd Boehly with the signing of Enzo Fernandez for £106m.
Where Bellingham will be playing his football next season remains unclear, for now. The Blues are joined by the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United in the race to land the 19-year-old, with the battle set to play-out for the majority of the summer transfer window.
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Boehly has previously demonstrated his calibre in the transfer market since taking over from Roman Abramovich in May. The U.S billionaire has spent over £600m on new players as part of his major overhaul of the squad in SW6 while also forking out £15m to secure Graham Potter's services from Brighton.
However, results on the pitch have not reflected Boehly's off-the-field antics with Chelsea sat 10th - nine points off Tottenham in the top four. Today's Champions League tie with Dortmund seems to be a make-or-break for the Blues' season, with Potter's men needing to overturn a 1-0 scoreline.
Ahead of the game, any hopes of signing Bellingham at the end of the season could be slowly dwindling. According to Foot Mercato, Bellingham's father - Mark Bellingham - has met with Real Madrid chief director Juni Calafat in London to discuss a possible move.
The current Champions League holders have been undergoing an overhaul of their midfield over the past few years with Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga signed to replace Luka Modric (37) and Toni Kroos (33) in years to come. Bellingham's potential arrival would only bolster Carlo Ancelotti's options in the position, with the former Birmingham City ace destined to become one of the world's greats.
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