Chelsea and Todd Boehly have been dealt a fresh blow in their long-term transfer pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old continues to impress those watching him after his incredible performance for England in their World Cup last-16 clash with Senegal.
Phil Foden and Gary Neville were just two of several who lauded Bellingham following his dominating midfield display that helped England advance to the World Cup quarter-finals, with the latter comparing him to former Liverpool man Steven Gerrard.
Bellingham was everywhere on Sunday evening against the African champions all while setting up Jordan Henderson for the Three Lions opener and winning back possession which ultimately led to a counter-attack and England scoring goal number two.
READ MORE: PSG chairman makes major Jude Bellingham transfer admission as Chelsea plan approach
Understandably his displays in Qatar will only increase the price placed on him by Dortmund which currently stands in the region of €100million (£86m) to €150m (£129m). Every club in the world would likely sign Bellingham if they had the funds to do so, but Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid seem to be the front-runners.
Todd Boehly is seeking a significant revamp of the Chelsea squad, particularly the midfield with Jorginho and N'Golo Kante both out of contract in the summer. With a view to replacing those set to depart in the summer, football.london understands Chelsea officials have held continuous conversations behind the scenes regarding midfield targets ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
Edson Alvarez is a player who remains on the club's radar, while a potential move for Bellingham or Declan Rice is highly unlikely to be completed in January. Although a deal for Bellingham may be completely off the cards with a new update in his transfer saga that is a blow for Chelsea.
Christian Falk of SPORT BILD has revealed that Liverpool are currently in the lead over Real Madrid and thus Chelsea in the race for the teenager. He is also reporting that Bellingham's family prefer a move to Anfield.
This report follows a blossoming bromance between Bellingham and Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the Reds captain Henderson also dropping a huge hint on the future of Bellingham in response to a fan's claim about him joining Madrid.
Chelsea and Boehly are still of course in the race for Bellingham, but they will have to up their game with Jurgen Klopp seemingly in pole position to bring the midfielder back to England.
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